Dragon Age Developers Reveal They’ve Been Laid Off After BioWare Puts ‘Full Focus’ on Mass Effect

Key Dragon Age developers depart BioWare following restructuring for Mass Effect 5.

On January 29th, IGN reported that BioWare, in its complete shift to Mass Effect 5 development, had reassigned numerous developers to other EA projects. General manager Gary McKay explained this as a strategic restructuring between development cycles, stating that the full studio's support wasn't currently needed for Mass Effect 5. While many BioWare employees were successfully placed in suitable roles within EA, a smaller number of Dragon Age team members faced termination, with the option to apply for other internal positions.

Subsequently, several prominent BioWare developers announced their departures via social media. This includes editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm. These departures follow previous layoffs in 2023 and the recent departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.

EA's response to inquiries regarding the number of affected employees remained vague, emphasizing the sufficient staffing for Mass Effect 5's current development phase. They confirmed that the studio's focus has entirely shifted to Mass Effect 5 following the completion of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

The recent release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the first new entry in the series in a decade, was met with underwhelming results. BioWare's announcement of no post-launch DLC, coupled with EA's admission of a 50% shortfall in sales expectations (1.5 million players versus a projected 3 million), highlights the game's struggles. These challenges, including previous layoffs and the loss of key personnel, have been previously documented.

Meanwhile, EA confirmed that Mass Effect 5 is being developed by a core BioWare team led by veterans of the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others.