As Dragon Age Fans Fear the Death of the Series, One Former BioWare Developer Offers Words of Reassurance: 'Dragon Age Isn't Dead Because It's Yours Now'

Following layoffs at BioWare impacting key Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers, a former writer offered reassurance to fans, stating, "DA isn't dead because it's yours now."

This week's EA restructuring prioritized Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Veilguard staff to other EA studios (Game Developer reported John Epler's transfer to Full Circle's Skate project). However, other developers were laid off. This followed EA's announcement of Veilguard's underperformance, citing 1.5 million engaged players—significantly below projections. It's unclear if this figure represents unit sales, includes EA Play Pro subscribers, or accounts for free trials.

The situation fueled fan concerns about the franchise's future, especially with no planned DLC for Veilguard and BioWare's work concluding with a recent major update.

Sheryl Chee, a senior writer transferred from BioWare to Motive Studios (working on Iron Man), shared a message of hope on social media. Acknowledging the challenging two years and team attrition, she emphasized her continued employment and then, responding to a fan's lament, declared the franchise's future rests with the fans:

"But DA isn't dead. There's fic. There's art. There's the connections we made through the games and because of the games. Technically EA/BioWare owns the IP but you can't own an idea, no matter how much they want to. DA isn't dead because it's yours now."

She further explained that fan creations, inspired by the series, demonstrate its enduring impact and validate its legacy.

The Dragon Age series, launched with 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014), saw a significant gap before The Veilguard's release. In contrast, Mark Darrah, a former executive producer (departed in 2020), revealed Dragon Age: Inquisition's sales massively exceeded EA's internal projections, exceeding 12 million copies.

While EA hasn't officially declared Dragon Age defunct, the BioWare restructuring and Mass Effect 5 focus make a near-future Dragon Age title unlikely. Regarding Mass Effect 5, EA confirmed a dedicated core team, led by veterans from the original trilogy, is actively developing the game.