Dragon Age Developers Reveal They’ve Been Laid Off After BioWare Puts ‘Full Focus’ on Mass Effect

Key Dragon Age developers depart BioWare following Mass Effect 5 focus.

BioWare's restructuring to prioritize Mass Effect 5 has resulted in several key Dragon Age developers leaving the studio. This follows a report by IGN on January 29th, detailing BioWare's internal shift and the subsequent reassignment of developers to other EA projects.

General manager Gary McKay explained the restructuring as a strategic move to "reimagine how we work" between development cycles. While many developers were successfully placed in suitable roles within EA, a smaller number of Dragon Age team members faced termination and were offered the opportunity to apply for other internal positions.

Several prominent 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. These departures follow previous layoffs in 2023 and the recent departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.

EA's response regarding the number of affected individuals remained vague, stating that the studio is appropriately staffed for the current phase of Mass Effect 5 development.

The recent release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the first new entry in the series in a decade, concluded with its final major update. The game's underperformance, falling short of sales expectations by 50% (1.5 million players versus the projected 3 million), and the lack of planned post-launch DLC, contributed to the current situation. Previous reports have already highlighted development challenges, including layoffs and the departure of several project leads.

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