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 had reassigned numerous developers to other EA projects, shifting its complete focus to Mass Effect 5. General manager Gary McKay explained this restructuring as an opportunity to "reimagine how we work" between development cycles, stating that the full studio's support wasn't currently needed for Mass Effect 5's development. McKay confirmed that many employees were successfully placed within other EA teams.

However, a smaller number of Dragon Age team members faced termination, with the option to apply for other internal roles. Subsequently, several BioWare developers announced their departures on social media, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer Patrick Weekes, and editor Ryan Cormier. Producer Jen Cheverie and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm also confirmed their exits.

This follows 2023 layoffs and the recent departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche. While EA avoided providing specific numbers regarding the impact of the restructuring, their statement confirmed a shift in focus to Mass Effect 5, implying a reduction in BioWare's workforce.

The recent release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the first new entry in the series in a decade, was met with disappointment. BioWare confirmed no post-launch DLC, a significant departure from previous Dragon Age titles. EA further acknowledged that the game's sales fell drastically short of expectations, achieving only 1.5 million players compared to the projected three million. Previous reports have already highlighted the game's development challenges, including layoffs and the departure of key personnel.

Meanwhile, EA confirmed that a core team of Mass Effect veterans, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others, are leading the development of the next Mass Effect game.