Dragon Age: The Veilguard Dev BioWare Reportedly Down to Fewer Than 100 Employees Following Layoffs and Staff Exits

BioWare's workforce has reportedly shrunk to under 100 employees following recent layoffs and departures. This significant reduction follows the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a company restructure prioritizing the next Mass Effect game.

Bloomberg reported BioWare employed over 200 individuals two years ago during The Veilguard's development. Last week's EA restructuring, focusing solely on Mass Effect 5, resulted in some The Veilguard team members transferring to other EA studios. According to Game Developer, this included creative director John Epler moving to Full Circle's Skate project and senior writer Sheryl Chee joining Motive's Iron Man team.

These staff transfers, initially described as temporary assignments, are now permanent relocations, according to Bloomberg. However, other employees confirmed layoffs and subsequent job searches. Several BioWare developers publicly announced their departures on social media, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm.

This latest reduction follows 2023 layoffs and the departure of The Veilguard director Corinne Busche last month. While EA offered a vague response to inquiries regarding the exact number of affected employees, Bloomberg estimated approximately two dozen layoffs. BioWare staff reportedly consider the completion of The Veilguard a remarkable achievement, given EA's initial push for live-service elements, later reversed. IGN has previously documented The Veilguard's development challenges, including earlier layoffs and the departure of several key personnel.

Concerns about the future of the Dragon Age franchise are rising among fans. One former BioWare writer offered a message of reassurance, stating, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."

Regarding Mass Effect, EA confirmed a core team at BioWare, led by veterans from the original trilogy (including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley), is developing the next installment.