Following recent layoffs at BioWare, which saw the departure of many key developers behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard, former series writer Sheryl Chee has stepped forward to reassure fans. Amidst the turmoil, Chee, who has transitioned to work on Iron Man at Motive, shared a message of hope on social media: "DA isn't dead because it's yours now."
This week, EA announced a restructuring of BioWare to concentrate solely on Mass Effect 5. As a result, some developers from Dragon Age: The Veilguard were reassigned to other EA projects, such as John Epler, the game's creative director, who joined Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game, Skate. However, others faced layoffs and are now seeking new opportunities.
The decision came after EA revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met the company's expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter—a figure nearly 50% below projections. It's important to note that EA did not specify whether this number represented unit sales, as the game was also available through EA's Play Pro subscription service. Additionally, it remains unclear if the 1.5 million count included players who tried the game via the free trial offered through the more affordable EA Play subscription.
The combination of EA's announcement, the restructuring of BioWare, and the layoffs has led to widespread concern among Dragon Age fans that the series may be nearing its end. There are no plans for DLC for The Veilguard, and BioWare's work on the game concluded with its last major update last week.
In response to a fan's lament about the potential demise of Dragon Age, Chee offered words of encouragement. She quoted Albert Camus, saying, "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer," and emphasized the resilience of the Dragon Age community. Chee highlighted that while EA and BioWare own the IP, the true essence of Dragon Age lives on through the fan-created content such as fan fiction, art, and the connections formed through the games.
Chee's message resonated with fans, with one expressing their intent to write a giant alternate universe (AU) story inspired by the series. Chee celebrated this, stating, "If DA has inspired you to do something, if it sparks that Invincible summer, then it's done its job, and it has been my greatest honor to have been a part of that."
The Dragon Age series began with Dragon Age: Origins in 2010, followed by Dragon Age 2 in 2011, and Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. The latest installment, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, took a decade to release. Former executive producer Mark Darrah, who left BioWare in 2020, disclosed that Dragon Age: Inquisition had sold over 12 million copies, significantly surpassing EA's internal projections.
While EA has not officially declared the end of Dragon Age, the future of the series appears uncertain given BioWare's full focus on Mass Effect 5. EA confirmed that a "core team" at BioWare, led by veterans from the original Mass Effect trilogy, is currently developing the next Mass Effect game. EA assured IGN that the studio has the appropriate number of staff in the right roles for this stage of Mass Effect's development.
