BioWare, the renowned developer behind the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, has reportedly seen its workforce dwindle to fewer than 100 employees following a series of layoffs and staff exits after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. This comes in the wake of a significant restructuring by EA to shift BioWare's focus exclusively to the next Mass Effect game.
Just two years ago, when Dragon Age: The Veilguard was deep in production, BioWare boasted over 200 employees. However, the recent changes have drastically altered the studio's landscape. Last week, EA announced a strategic pivot for BioWare to concentrate solely on Mass Effect 5, leading to the reassignment of several Veilguard team members to other EA projects. Notably, John Epler, the creative director for Veilguard, has been reassigned to Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game Skate, while senior writer Sheryl Chee has moved to work on Iron Man at Motive.
The decision to restructure comes on the heels of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underwhelming performance. EA disclosed that the game engaged only 1.5 million players in its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell short of the company's expectations by nearly 50%. Bloomberg reports that these staff reassignments are now permanent, and those working on other EA projects are no longer considered BioWare employees.
In the aftermath of these changes, numerous BioWare developers have taken to social media to announce their layoffs and job searches. Among those affected are 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. This follows another round of layoffs at BioWare in 2023, compounded by the recent departure of Veilguard director Corinne Busche.
When IGN sought clarification from EA regarding the specifics of the layoffs and the current headcount at BioWare, the response was non-committal. 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's Jason Schreier reported that around two dozen individuals were affected by the recent layoffs at BioWare. Schreier also noted the challenges faced during Dragon Age: The Veilguard's development, including EA's attempt to incorporate live-service elements, which was later reversed. IGN has previously documented some of these development hurdles, including earlier layoffs and the departure of several project leads.
Amidst growing concerns from Dragon Age fans about the future of the series, a former BioWare writer offered a message of hope, stating, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."
Looking ahead, EA has 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 installment in the Mass Effect series.
