BioWare’s Restructuring Sees Departure of Entire ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ Writing Team
BioWare, the studio behind some of gaming’s most loved stories, is going through a major change. The entire writing team for ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ has left the company. This comes after a tough time for the game, which launched in October 2024 and didn’t hit the mark Electronic Arts (EA) had hoped for. It’s a big moment for a team known for epic tales in games like ‘Mass Effect’ and earlier ‘Dragon Age’ titles.
The news broke when Trick Weekes, who led the writing for ‘The Veilguard’, shared they were out after 20 years at BioWare. Similar was shared by Ann Lemay. They’re not alone—other writers like Brianne Battye and Sheryl Chee have moved to EA’s Motive Studio, while folks like Sylvia Feketekuty and John Dombrow had already exited earlier. Even veterans Mary Kirby and Lukas Kristjanson, who helped shape the ‘Dragon Age’ world from the start, were let go back in 2023. By now, none of the main writers credited for ‘The Veilguard’ are still at BioWare.
Why the shake-up? Well, ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ didn’t do as well as expected. EA wanted it to pull in around 3 million players, but it only reached about 1.5 million. That’s a rough blow for a game that took nearly a decade to make, following 2014’s ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’. Despite some praise for its combat and visuals, the story got flak from players who felt it wasn’t up to BioWare’s usual standard. I can’t help but think the long, rocky development—first planned as a live-service game before switching back to a single-player RPG—might’ve played a part.
BioWare’s now turning its full attention to the next ‘Mass Effect’ game. General manager Gary McKay said they don’t need the whole studio for it yet, so they’re slimming down. Some staff are shifting to other EA projects, but others, like Trick Weekes and editors Karin West-Weekes and Ryan Cormier, are out of a job. It’s a tough break, especially for folks who’ve been with BioWare for decades, crafting characters like Varric and Solas that we’ve grown to love.
This isn’t the first time BioWare’s faced cuts. In 2023, they laid off 50 people, including big names from the ‘Dragon Age’ series. That was during ‘The Veilguard’s’ final stretch, which already had fans worried. Now, with the writing team gone and game director Corinne Busche leaving in January 2025 for a new RPG gig, it’s clear things are shifting fast. Busche, by the way, came from working on ‘The Sims’ before joining BioWare in 2019, and some say her style influenced ‘The Veilguard’s’ lighter tone.
What’s next for ‘Dragon Age’? Hard to say. EA’s confirmed no DLC is coming for ‘The Veilguard’, which feels like they’re closing the book on it. The focus is all on ‘Mass Effect 5’, led by vets from the original trilogy like Mike Gamble and Derek Watts. I’m hopeful that means a return to what made BioWare special—tight stories and deep characters—but it’s a gamble after recent stumbles. ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ in 2017 and ‘Anthem’ in 2019 didn’t exactly light the world on fire either.
BioWare built its name on games like ‘Dragon Age: Origins’, launched in 2009, with its dark fantasy and tough choices. ‘Mass Effect 2’ from 2010 is still one of my all-time favorites. But losing so many of the people who made those worlds feel alive? That stings. We’ll see if the new crew can carry the torch—or if BioWare’s best days are behind it.