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

BioWare, the renowned game developer, has reportedly seen its workforce shrink to fewer than 100 employees following a recent round of layoffs and staff exits. This comes in the wake of the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a strategic restructuring to focus solely on the next installment of the Mass Effect series.

Just two years ago, when Dragon Age: The Veilguard was deep in production, BioWare boasted over 200 employees, according to Bloomberg. However, last week, EA announced a significant restructuring, shifting BioWare's focus exclusively to Mass Effect 5. This shift led to the reassignment of some Veilguard team members to other EA studios. Notably, John Epler, the creative director of Veilguard, has been permanently moved to work on Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game, Skate. Similarly, senior writer Sheryl Chee has transitioned to work on Iron Man at Motive Studio.

The restructuring decision was influenced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underwhelming performance. EA disclosed that the game engaged 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell nearly 50% short of the company's expectations. Bloomberg reports that these staff reassignments are now permanent, and those working at other EA studios are no longer considered BioWare employees on temporary assignment.

In addition to the reassignments, several BioWare employees were laid off. Developers such as editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm have publicly announced their departures and are seeking new opportunities. This follows a previous round of layoffs at BioWare in 2023 and the recent exit of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.

When asked by IGN about the specifics of the layoffs and the current number of employees at BioWare, EA provided a vague 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 reported that approximately two dozen BioWare employees were affected by the recent layoffs. Schreier also noted that the completion of Dragon Age: The Veilguard was seen as a "miracle" by BioWare staff, given the challenges posed by EA's initial push for a live-service model and subsequent reversal. IGN has previously covered some of the development challenges faced by Veilguard, including earlier layoffs and the departure of several project leads.

Amidst concerns about the future of the Dragon Age series, a former BioWare writer offered reassurance to fans, stating, "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. This team is led by veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others, signaling a strong commitment to the franchise's future.