Dragon Age Future Secure: BioWare Dev Offers Hope to Fans

Following layoffs at BioWare impacting key Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers, former series writer Sheryl Chee offered reassurance to fans. This week's EA restructuring prioritized Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Veilguard staff to other EA studios, while others were laid off. This followed EA's announcement that The Veilguard underperformed, engaging only 1.5 million players—significantly below projections. It's unclear if this figure accounts for unit sales, EA Play Pro subscriptions, or a free trial, adding to the uncertainty.

The combination of EA's announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and the layoffs fueled concerns within the Dragon Age fanbase about the series' future. With no planned DLC for The Veilguard and development seemingly concluded, the sense of the franchise's demise was palpable.

However, Chee, now working on Iron Man at Motive Studios, shared a message of hope on social media. Acknowledging the difficult past two years and team attrition, she emphasized her continued employment and then, referencing Camus, stated: "DA isn't dead because it's yours now." She highlighted fan contributions—fan fiction, art, and community connections—as keeping the spirit of Dragon Age alive, emphasizing that while EA/BioWare owns the IP, they can't own the idea itself. Chee further explained that fan creations inspired by the game demonstrate its enduring impact.

The Dragon Age franchise began with 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014). The latest installment, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, arrived a decade later. In contrast to The Veilguard's performance, former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah revealed that Dragon Age: Inquisition sold over 12 million copies, massively exceeding EA's internal projections.

While EA hasn't officially declared Dragon Age dead, the future of the series remains uncertain given BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5. EA confirmed a dedicated core team is developing Mass Effect 5, led by veterans from the original trilogy, but provided no specific details about team size.