BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard Team Shrinks to Under 100 After Layoffs

BioWare, the renowned game developer behind the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, has reportedly seen its workforce shrink to fewer than 100 employees following a series of layoffs and staff departures after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Just two years ago, during the peak production of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare boasted over 200 staff members, according to Bloomberg.

Last week, EA announced a significant restructuring at BioWare, shifting the studio's focus exclusively to the development of the next Mass Effect game, Mass Effect 5. This strategic pivot resulted in some staff from Dragon Age: The Veilguard being reassigned to projects at other EA studios. Notably, John Epler, the creative director for Veilguard, has moved to Full Circle to work on the upcoming skateboarding game Skate, while senior writer Sheryl Chee has transitioned to Motive Studio to contribute to the Iron Man project.

The restructuring decision came on the heels of EA's disclosure that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met the company's sales expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter—a figure nearly 50% lower than projected.

Bloomberg further reported that these staff reassignments to other EA studios are now permanent, and those working elsewhere are no longer considered BioWare employees on temporary assignment. In the wake of this announcement, several BioWare developers, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm, took to social media to announce their layoffs and their search for new employment opportunities.

This recent round of layoffs adds to the challenges BioWare has faced, following a previous round of layoffs in 2023 and the departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche last month.

When asked by IGN about the specifics of the layoffs and the current state of BioWare's workforce, EA provided a non-committal response, stating, "The studio's priority was Dragon Age. During this time there were people continuing to build the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has shipped, the studio's full focus is Mass Effect. While we're not sharing numbers, the studio has the right number of people in the right roles to work on Mass Effect at this stage of development."

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier noted that around two dozen people were affected by the recent layoffs at BioWare. Schreier also highlighted the tumultuous development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, describing it as a "miracle" that the game was released in a complete state after EA's attempts to incorporate live-service elements, only to reverse course later.

Amidst growing concerns from Dragon Age fans about the future of the series, one former BioWare writer offered reassurance, saying, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."

Looking ahead, EA confirmed that a "core team" at BioWare is now focused on developing the next Mass Effect game, led by veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others.