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, a former series writer offered reassurance to fans, stating, "DA isn't dead because it's yours now."

This week's EA restructuring prioritized Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Veilguard staff to other EA studios (Game Developer reported John Epler, Veilguard's creative director, joined Full Circle's Skate project). However, other developers were laid off.

This followed EA's announcement of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance, reporting only 1.5 million players engaged during the recent financial quarter – significantly below projections (almost 50% less). Importantly, EA didn't specify if this figure represented unit sales (considering the game's availability through EA Play Pro and a potential free trial via EA Play).

The announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and layoffs fueled fan concerns about the series' future. The Veilguard has no planned DLC, and BioWare concluded its work on the game last week with what appeared to be its final major update.

However, Sheryl Chee, a senior writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard who transitioned to Motive Studio's Iron Man project, offered a message of hope on social media. She acknowledged the challenging two years, team reductions, and the ongoing uncertainty, but emphasized her continued employment. Responding to a fan expressing concern over Dragon Age's demise, Chee highlighted the power of fan contributions:

"DA isn't dead. There's fic. There's art. There's the connections we made through the games and because of the games. Technically EA/BioWare owns the IP but you can't own an idea, no matter how much they want to. DA isn't dead because it's yours now."

She further explained that fan-created content, such as AU stories, embodies the spirit of Dragon Age and fulfills its purpose.

The Dragon Age series began with 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014). The Veilguard, released a decade later, faced significant challenges.

In September, former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah revealed Dragon Age: Inquisition's sales exceeded EA's internal projections by a "massive" margin, selling over 12 million copies.

While EA hasn't officially declared Dragon Age dead, the future of the series remains uncertain given BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5. EA confirmed a dedicated team at BioWare is developing Mass Effect 5, led by veterans from the original trilogy, stating they have the necessary personnel.