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 faced layoffs. This followed EA's announcement that The Veilguard underperformed, engaging only 1.5 million players—significantly below projections. It's unclear if this figure includes unit sales, EA Play Pro subscribers, or free trial participants.
The combination of EA's announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and confirmed layoffs fueled concerns within the Dragon Age fanbase that the series was effectively dead. The Veilguard has no planned DLC, and BioWare's work concluded recently with what appeared to be a final major update.
However, Chee, now working on Iron Man at Motive Studios, shared a message of hope on social media. She acknowledged the challenging two years, but emphasized her continued employment. Responding to a fan expressing grief over Dragon Age's perceived demise, Chee invoked Albert Camus' quote about finding "an invincible summer" within oneself. She argued that while EA/BioWare owns the IP, they can't own the idea itself. Chee declared: "DA isn't dead because it's yours now," encouraging fan contributions like fanfiction and artwork to keep the spirit of Dragon Age alive. She highlighted the community's connection fostered by the games as evidence of the series' enduring impact.
The Dragon Age franchise began with 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 in 2011 and Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. The Veilguard, released a decade later, marked a significant gap in the series' timeline. In September, former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed that Dragon Age: Inquisition sold over 12 million copies, exceeding EA's internal projections.
While EA hasn't explicitly declared Dragon Age dead, the future of the series seems uncertain given BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5 and the events surrounding The Veilguard's release. EA confirmed a dedicated "core team" at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game, led by veterans from the original trilogy. They declined to share specific numbers but asserted the team is adequately staffed for the project's current developmental stage.
