Dragon Age Dev Team Reportedly Shrinks To Under 100 Employees

BioWare's workforce has reportedly shrunk to under 100 employees following recent layoffs and departures, a significant reduction from its 200+ headcount two years prior. This downsizing comes after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a company restructuring prioritizing the development of the next Mass Effect title.

Bloomberg reports that EA's restructuring, which focused BioWare solely on Mass Effect 5, resulted in the transfer of some Dragon Age: The Veilguard staff to other EA studios. This includes the creative director, John Epler, who moved to Full Circle's Skate project, and senior writer Sheryl Chee, who transitioned to Motive's Iron Man development. These transfers, initially described as temporary, are now permanent reassignments.

EA's announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperformed, engaging only 1.5 million players (nearly 50% below projections), further fueled the staff reductions. While EA remains vague about precise numbers, Bloomberg estimates approximately two dozen layoffs. Several BioWare developers publicly confirmed their departures on social media, including key personnel such as Karin West-Weekes, Trick Weekes, Ryan Cormier, Jen Cheverie, and Michelle Flamm. These departures follow previous layoffs in 2023 and the departure of director Corinne Busche last month.

BioWare staff reportedly view the completion of Dragon Age: The Veilguard as a remarkable achievement given the challenges imposed by EA's initial push for live-service elements, later reversed. Previous reports have documented the game's troubled development, including prior layoffs and the departure of several project leads.

Despite fan concerns about the future of the Dragon Age franchise, a former BioWare writer offered reassurance, suggesting the series' future is not necessarily bleak. Meanwhile, EA confirmed that a core team of veteran developers from the original Mass Effect trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, are leading the development of the next Mass Effect game.