What’s happening in the gaming industry? Another wave of layoffs rocked the community which affected BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers. It seems the game’s sales underperformance has caused this dilemma. So, what will happen next for Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers?

Disappointing Sales Trigger Studio Restructuring

It took Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers nearly a decade to develop the game. However, not everything is guaranteed to be successful as the game failed to meet EA’s financial expectations. The recent financial reports of Dragon Age: The Veilguard only showed 1.5 million players in 2024.

This number alone was insufficient to reach even half of the company’s projection for the game. It is a surprising outcome given the positive review it received from the gaming community, especially reputable reviewers. The game even averaged an 80 in their OpenCritic score and gained attention from many. Yet, it did not translate to the commercial success that BioWare and EA were hoping for.

Key Developers Announce Layoffs

The layoff news of Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers came from themselves after coming out to the public. Several key members of the team have shared their sentiments about their departure from BioWare. In fact, their narrative designer and lead writer Trick Weekes announced he is currently seeking a new position. He was working with the company for 20 years before they let him go this year.

Besides him, Editors Karin West-Weekes and Ryan Cormier, senior systems designer Michelle Flamm, and producer Jen Cheverie were among the layoffs. It’s almost a complete team that bids farewell from BioWare. However, their general manager Gary McKay announced previously the restructuring of the company as preparation for a mass effect game. Still, no one anticipated it to include layoffs of employees that were crucial for the game.

Future of the Dragon Age Franchise

Can Dragon Age: The Veilguard still continue after everything? It was not just a team that said goodbye to BioWare’s franchise title. Game director Corinne Busche left the company earlier which ended her 18-year career with EA.

Although Busche explained that her departure was nowhere related to the game’s performance. Rather the changes that happened are part of the shifts in the studio. Moreover, it seems Dragon Age: The Veilguard is far from receiving additional downloadable content (DLC). Unfortunately, future updates are likely patches to address any game-breaking bugs.

Community Response and Hope

Despite the unfortunate circumstances, some Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers remain positive. Sheryl Chee, senior writer moved to Motive Studio, and shared encouragement for fans. She claimed Dragon Age is not dead but rather present in every connection made through the games and because of games.

It lightheartedly gave Dragon Age ownership to fans saying EA/BioWare can only own the IP and not the idea itself. Still, these changes will be drastic to the community starting from the rollout of content. Plus, EA has not shared any information about their future development plans for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Looking Ahead

It can’t be helped that some companies and teams fail to deliver the target result amidst the highly competitive market. Unfortunately, the Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers were the ones affected by the layoff that happened in BioWare. For now, BioWare seems to have shifted its focus to an anticipated title, Mass Effect. Meanwhile, some developers transfer and seek employment in other studios to grow their talents.