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

BioWare, the renowned game development studio, has reportedly seen its workforce shrink to under 100 employees following layoffs and staff departures after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Just two years ago, during the peak of The Veilguard's development, BioWare had over 200 staff members, according to Bloomberg.

In a significant restructuring last week, EA decided to shift BioWare's focus solely to the development of Mass Effect 5. This move resulted in some Dragon Age: The Veilguard team members being reassigned to other EA projects. For instance, John Epler, the creative director of The Veilguard, has been permanently moved to Full Circle to work on the upcoming skateboarding game Skate. Similarly, senior writer Sheryl Chee has transitioned to work on Iron Man at Motive.

The restructuring came after Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet EA's expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter—a figure nearly 50% lower than projected. Bloomberg reports that these staff reassignments to other EA studios are now permanent, and those working elsewhere are no longer considered BioWare employees.

In the wake of these changes, several BioWare developers took to social media to announce their layoffs and job searches. Notable among them are editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer on 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 and the recent departure of The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.

When IGN sought detailed information from EA about the number of affected employees, potential layoffs, and remaining staff at BioWare, the response was nonspecific. 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 report suggests around two dozen people were impacted by the latest layoffs at BioWare. Jason Schreier, the report's author, noted that staff considered it a "miracle" that The Veilguard was released as a complete game, given EA's fluctuating direction between implementing live-service elements and then reversing that decision. IGN has previously covered some of the development challenges faced by The Veilguard, including earlier layoffs and the exit of several project leads.

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

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