The anticipated Dragon Age revival, titled Dragon Age: The Veilguard, was positioned as BioWare's opportunity to reaffirm its RPG prowess. However, the title underperformed dramatically, receiving a user score of 3/10 from 7,000 Metacritic reviewers and selling just 1.5 million units - 50% below EA's projections. This has raised serious questions about BioWare's future projects, including the next Mass Effect installment.
| Table of Contents | |
|---|---|
| The Turbulent Development of Dragon Age 4 | |
| Key Talent Departures at BioWare | |
| Dragon Age 4's Failed Mass Effect Adaptation | |
| Is Dragon Age Finished? | |
| What's Next for Mass Effect? | |
The Turbulent Development of Dragon Age 4
The game underwent nearly a decade of conceptual shifts before release. Following Dragon Age: Inquisition's success in 2015, BioWare envisioned building a TES-scale RPG franchise with three new titles between 2019-2024. However, resources were diverted to Mass Effect: Andromeda, and later Anthem, leaving Dragon Age in pre-production limbo until 2019's live-service attempt "Joplin" was abandoned after Anthem's failure. The rebooted "Morrison" project eventually became Dreadwolf (later renamed The Veilguard), completing a development saga marked by repeated pivots and lost momentum.
Key Talent Departures at BioWare
Post-launch restructuring saw BioWare shrink from 200 to under 100 employees through layoffs and talent migration. Notable exits included:
- Lead writers Patrick and Karin Weekes (Mass Effect trilogy, DA: Origins/Inquisition)
- Game Director Corinne Bouche (joined new RPG studio)
- Character designer Cheryl Chi (moved to Motive Studio)
- Creative director John Epler (transitioned to Full Circle)
While not indicative of studio closure, these departures represent significant institutional knowledge loss.
Dragon Age 4's Failed Mass Effect Adaptation
Developers borrowed liberally from Mass Effect's playbook, implementing ME2's companion system and ME3's Citadel-style interactions. However, the execution faltered in critical ways:
- World state customization was limited to Inquisition decisions
- Legacy characters like Solas and Morrigan were underutilized
- Series-defining complex themes were oversimplified
- Dialogue systems lacked consequential branching
The result was a competent action-adventure that failed as both an RPG and Dragon Age title.
Is Dragon Age Finished?
EA executives have suggested the property might have performed better as a live-service title, with CEO Andrew Wilson emphasizing multiplayer and engagement mechanics as industry standards. The publisher's fiscal reports now prioritize sports titles and Battlefield over single-player RPGs. While the franchise maintains passionate fans, any continuation would likely require years of redevelopment and possibly fundamental reinvention.
What's Next for Mass Effect?
Currently in pre-production at a much smaller BioWare:
- Led by remaining veterans including Michael Gamble
- Aiming for photorealism beyond The Veilguard
- Potentially connecting original trilogy and Andromeda
- Not expected before 2027
The project faces immense pressure to avoid The Veilguard's development pitfalls and deliver a worthy successor to the beloved sci-fi series.
