Following the recent layoffs at BioWare, which led to the departure of many key developers behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard, former series writer Sheryl Chee has stepped forward to reassure fans. Amid concerns that the franchise might be on its last legs, Chee emphasized that "DA isn't dead because it's yours now." This statement comes after EA restructured BioWare to focus exclusively on Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Dragon Age developers to other EA projects, while others were laid off.
The restructuring followed EA's announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met the company's expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter—a figure that was nearly 50% below projections. It's important to note that EA did not specify if this number represented unit sales, as the game was also available through the EA Play Pro subscription service. Additionally, it remains unclear whether the figure included players from a free trial offered through the cheaper EA Play subscription.
These developments, combined with the lack of planned DLC for The Veilguard and BioWare's completion of the game's last major update, have led to widespread concern among the Dragon Age community about the future of the series. However, Chee, who transitioned to work on Iron Man at Motive, took to social media to share a message of hope. Reflecting on the challenging past two years, she highlighted the resilience and creativity of the fanbase, asserting that the series lives on through fan fiction, art, and the connections formed by the games.
Chee's message resonated with fans, one of whom announced plans to write a giant alternate universe (AU) story inspired by Dragon Age. Chee celebrated this as an example of how the series continues to inspire and spark creativity among its followers.
The Dragon Age franchise began with Dragon Age: Origins in 2010, followed by Dragon Age 2 in 2011, and Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. The latest installment, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, took a decade to be released. Former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed in September that Dragon Age: Inquisition had sold over 12 million copies, significantly surpassing EA's internal projections.
While EA has not officially declared the Dragon Age series dead, the current focus on Mass Effect 5, with a core team led by veterans from the original trilogy, suggests that a new Dragon Age game may not be in the near future. EA confirmed to IGN that the team working on Mass Effect is appropriately sized and staffed for the current stage of development.
