BioWare has reportedly been reduced to fewer than 100 employees following layoffs and staff departures after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. According to Bloomberg, the studio had over 200 employees just two years ago during the peak of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's development.
Last week, EA restructured BioWare to focus exclusively on the development of Mass Effect 5. As a result, some team members who worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard were reassigned to other EA studios. For instance, John Epler, the creative director of Veilguard, has been moved to Full Circle to work on the upcoming skateboarding game Skate, while senior writer Sheryl Chee has been transferred to Motive to work on Iron Man.
This restructuring came after EA announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard did not meet the company's expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter—a figure nearly 50% lower than projected.
Bloomberg reported that these staff reassignments are now permanent, with those moved to other studios no longer considered BioWare employees on temporary assignment. Additionally, several BioWare developers took to social media to announce their layoffs and job search, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm.
BioWare had previously experienced layoffs in 2023, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche left the studio last month. When IGN sought details from EA about the number of affected employees, the response was vague, stating only that the studio now has "the right number of people in the right roles" to focus on Mass Effect.
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier noted that the layoffs impacted around two dozen people at BioWare. Staff members expressed relief that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released as a complete game, despite EA's initial push for a live-service model and subsequent reversal. IGN has previously reported on the development challenges faced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including earlier layoffs and the departure of several project leads.
Amid concerns about the future of the Dragon Age series, a former BioWare writer reassured fans by saying, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."
Regarding Mass Effect, EA confirmed that a "core team" at BioWare, led by veterans from the original trilogy including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, is currently developing the next installment in the series.
