BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard Team Shrinks to Under 100 After Layoffs

BioWare, the renowned game developer behind the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, has reportedly seen its workforce shrink to fewer than 100 employees following a series of layoffs and staff departures after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Just two years ago, during the peak of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's development, BioWare boasted over 200 employees, according to Bloomberg.

Last week, EA restructured BioWare to concentrate solely on the development of Mass Effect 5. This shift led to the reassignment of some Dragon Age: The Veilguard team members to other EA studios. Notably, John Epler, the creative director of Veilguard, has been moved to work on Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game, Skate, while senior writer Sheryl Chee has transitioned to work on Iron Man at Motive Studio.

The restructuring came after EA announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met the company's expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter—a figure nearly 50% below projections. Bloomberg reports that these staff reassignments to other studios are now permanent, and those working elsewhere at EA are no longer considered BioWare employees on temporary assignment.

In the wake of these changes, several BioWare developers, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm, have taken to social media to announce their layoffs and seek new employment opportunities. This follows a previous round of layoffs at BioWare in 2023 and the recent departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.

When IGN sought detailed information from EA about the number of affected individuals, potential layoffs, and the current headcount at BioWare, the company provided a vague response, emphasizing that the studio's full focus is now on Mass Effect. EA stated, "The studio's priority was Dragon Age. During this time there were people continuing to build the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has shipped, the studio's full focus is Mass Effect. While we're not sharing numbers, the studio has the right number of people in the right roles to work on Mass Effect at this stage of development."

Bloomberg reported that approximately two dozen BioWare employees were affected by the recent layoffs. Jason Schreier, the author of the Bloomberg report, noted that BioWare staff considered it a "miracle" that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released as a complete game, given the challenges posed by EA's initial push for a live-service model and subsequent reversal. IGN has previously documented some of the development challenges faced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including layoffs and the departure of several project leads.

Amidst concerns from Dragon Age fans about the future of the series, a former BioWare writer offered reassurance, stating, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."

Looking ahead, EA confirmed that a "core team" at BioWare, led by veterans from the original Mass Effect trilogy including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others, is now focused on developing the next Mass Effect game.