BioWare, the renowned game development studio, has reportedly seen its workforce shrink to fewer than 100 employees following layoffs and staff departures after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Just two years ago, during the peak of The Veilguard's development, BioWare boasted over 200 employees, according to Bloomberg.
Last week, EA restructured BioWare to concentrate solely on the next Mass Effect game, Mass Effect 5. This shift led to the reassignment of some Dragon Age: The Veilguard team members to other EA projects. For instance, John Epler, the creative director of The Veilguard, has been moved to work on Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game, Skate. Similarly, senior writer Sheryl Chee transitioned to work on Iron Man at Motive Studio.
The restructuring came after EA disclosed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard did not meet the company's expectations, engaging only 1.5 million players in the recent financial quarter—a figure nearly 50% below projections. Bloomberg reported that these staff reassignments are now permanent, and those working at other EA studios are no longer considered BioWare employees on temporary assignment.
In the wake of these changes, several BioWare developers announced their layoffs on social media. Notable among them are editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer on The Veilguard Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm, all of whom are now seeking new opportunities. This follows a previous round of layoffs at BioWare in 2023 and the recent departure of The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.
When IGN sought detailed information from EA about the number of affected employees, potential layoffs, and the current headcount at BioWare, the response was non-committal. EA stated, "The studio's priority was Dragon Age. During this time there were people continuing to build the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has shipped, the studio's full focus is Mass Effect. While we're not sharing numbers, the studio has the right number of people in the right roles to work on Mass Effect at this stage of development."
Bloomberg reported that approximately two dozen BioWare employees were affected by the recent layoffs. Jason Schreier, the author of the Bloomberg report, noted that BioWare staff considered it a "miracle" that The Veilguard was released as a complete game, given the challenges of integrating and then abandoning live-service elements during development. IGN has previously covered some of these development hurdles, including layoffs and the exit of several project leads.
Amid concerns about the future of the Dragon Age series, a former BioWare writer reassured fans, saying, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."
Looking ahead, EA confirmed that a "core team" at BioWare, led by veterans from the original Mass Effect trilogy such as Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, is now focused on developing the next installment in the Mass Effect series.
