BioWare's workforce has reportedly shrunk to under 100 employees following recent layoffs and departures, primarily stemming from the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a company restructuring prioritizing the next Mass Effect title.
Bloomberg reported BioWare's staff exceeded 200 two years prior, during The Veilguard's peak development. Last week's EA restructuring, focusing solely on Mass Effect 5, resulted in some The Veilguard team members transferring to other EA studios. This included creative director John Epler moving to Full Circle's Skate project and senior writer Sheryl Chee joining Motive's Iron Man team, according to Game Developer.
This restructuring followed EA's announcement of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance, falling nearly 50% short of projected player engagement (1.5 million players reported during the recent financial quarter). Bloomberg clarifies that initial staff "loans" to other EA studios are now permanent transfers, severing their BioWare affiliation. Additional layoffs have also been confirmed, with several BioWare developers publicly announcing their job searches on social media, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm. These departures follow 2023 layoffs and the recent departure of director Corinne Busche.
While EA's response to inquiries regarding specific layoff numbers remained vague, Bloomberg estimates approximately two dozen individuals were affected. Jason Schreier's Bloomberg report cites BioWare staff expressing astonishment that The Veilguard was completed at all, given EA's initial push for live-service elements, later reversed. IGN has previously documented The Veilguard's development challenges, including prior layoffs and the departure of key project leads.
Concerns regarding the future of the Dragon Age franchise are mounting among fans, prompting a former BioWare writer's reassuring comment: "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."
Regarding Mass Effect, EA confirmed a core BioWare team, led by veterans of the original trilogy (including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley), is developing the next installment.
