Following recent layoffs at BioWare that saw the departure of numerous key developers involved with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, former series writer Sheryl Chee has stepped forward to reassure fans that the franchise is far from dead. In her words, "DA isn't dead because it's yours now," emphasizing the enduring impact of the series on its community.
This week, Electronic Arts (EA) announced a significant restructuring at BioWare, shifting the studio's focus exclusively to Mass Effect 5. As a result, some developers who worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard were reassigned to other projects within EA's studios, while others faced layoffs and are now seeking new opportunities. John Epler, the creative director of Veilguard, for instance, was moved to work on Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game, Skate.
The restructuring came in the wake of EA's announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard did not meet the company's expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players in the recent financial quarter—a figure significantly lower than anticipated. It's worth noting that this number does not necessarily reflect unit sales, as the game was also available through EA's Play Pro subscription service. Furthermore, it's unclear whether this count includes players who tried the game for free via the more affordable EA Play subscription.
The combination of EA's announcement, the studio's restructuring, and the layoffs has led many in the Dragon Age community to fear for the future of the series. With no planned DLC for The Veilguard and BioWare concluding its work on the game last week, the situation seems dire.
However, Sheryl Chee, who transitioned from BioWare to work on Iron Man at Motive, offered a message of hope on social media. Reflecting on the challenging past two years and the gradual loss of her team, Chee still finds a silver lining in her continued employment. In response to a fan's lament about the series' demise, she shared a powerful message:
"So a cool French woman dropped a cool quote from Camus on me today: 'In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.' (I mean, who does resistance like the French, right?) We're going through it right now. It's a lot, everywhere… But DA isn't dead. There's fic. There's art. There's the connections we made through the games and because of the games. Technically EA/BioWare owns the IP but you can't own an idea, no matter how much they want to. DA isn't dead because it's yours now."
Chee further encouraged fans to continue engaging with the series through their own creative works, celebrating the inspiration that Dragon Age provides. "So someone just reposted my thing saying they'll write a giant AU and that's what I'm talking about. If DA has inspired you to do something, if it sparks that Invincible summer, then it's done its job, and it has been my greatest honor to have been a part of that."
Dragon Age first captured players' imaginations with 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 in 2011 and Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. The latest installment, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, took a decade to arrive, highlighting the challenges faced in its development. Notably, former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah disclosed that Dragon Age: Inquisition sold over 12 million copies, greatly surpassing EA's internal projections.
While EA has not declared the Dragon Age series dead, the current focus on Mass Effect 5 at BioWare, led by veterans from the original trilogy including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, makes the future of new Dragon Age titles uncertain. EA has stated that BioWare's core team is the right size and has the necessary roles to effectively develop the next Mass Effect game.
