As Dragon Age Fans Fear the Death of the Series, One Former BioWare Developer Offers Words of Reassurance: 'Dragon Age Isn't Dead Because It's Yours Now'

Following layoffs at BioWare impacting key Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers, former series writer Sheryl Chee offered reassurance to fans. This week's EA restructuring prioritized Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Veilguard staff to other EA studios, while others faced layoffs following the game's underperformance. EA reported 1.5 million players engaged with Dragon Age: The Veilguard during the recent financial quarter, significantly below projections. This figure's ambiguity, encompassing potential free trials and EA Play subscriptions, further fuels fan concerns. The lack of planned DLC and the apparent completion of major updates solidified the sense that the Dragon Age franchise was effectively dormant.

However, Chee, now working on Motive's Iron Man project, shared a message of hope on social media. Acknowledging the challenging two years and team attrition, she emphasized her continued employment. Responding to a fan expressing grief over Dragon Age's perceived demise, Chee invoked Camus's "invincible summer" metaphor, highlighting the power of fan creativity: fanfiction, artwork, and the community built around the games. She asserted that while EA/BioWare holds the IP, ideas remain unconquerable, ultimately declaring, "DA isn't dead because it's yours now." She further emphasized this by citing a fan's intention to write a large-scale alternate universe story, showcasing the franchise's enduring inspiration.

The Dragon Age series, launched in 2010 with Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014), saw a decade-long gap before The Veilguard's release. Interestingly, former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed in September that Dragon Age: Inquisition massively exceeded EA's sales projections, selling over 12 million copies.

While EA hasn't explicitly declared Dragon Age's end, the BioWare restructuring, focused entirely on Mass Effect 5, casts doubt on any imminent new Dragon Age title. EA confirmed a dedicated BioWare team, led by veterans from the original Mass Effect trilogy, is developing Mass Effect 5, though specific numbers weren't disclosed.