BioWare's workforce has reportedly shrunk to under 100 employees following recent layoffs and departures. This reduction comes after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a company restructure prioritizing the next Mass Effect game. Two years ago, during The Veilguard's peak development, BioWare employed over 200 people.
EA's recent restructuring focused BioWare solely on Mass Effect 5, resulting in some The Veilguard staff being transferred to other EA studios. For example, The Veilguard's Creative Director, John Epler, moved to Full Circle to work on the Skate game, and Senior Writer Sheryl Chee joined Motive's Iron Man project. These transfers, initially described as temporary, are now permanent reassignments.
Following EA's announcement of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance—engaging only 1.5 million players, significantly below projections—additional layoffs occurred. Several BioWare developers, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm, publicly announced their departures. These departures follow 2023 layoffs and the previous departure of The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.
While EA offered a vague response regarding the impact of these changes, Bloomberg reported approximately two dozen layoffs. BioWare staff reportedly consider the completion of Dragon Age: The Veilguard a remarkable achievement given the challenges of imposed and then reversed live-service elements, as previously documented by IGN. The game's development was marked by earlier layoffs and the departure of several key project leads.
Despite concerns from Dragon Age fans, a former BioWare writer offered reassurance, stating, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now." EA confirmed that a core team at BioWare, led by veterans of the original Mass Effect trilogy including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, is developing the next Mass Effect game.
