Dragon Age Alive: BioWare Dev Calms Fans' Fears

Following layoffs at BioWare impacting key Dragon Age: Dreadwolf developers, a former 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 Dragon Age: Dreadwolf personnel to other EA studios. Game Developer reported that creative director John Epler transitioned to Full Circle's Skate project. However, other developers faced layoffs.

This followed EA's announcement of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's underperformance, falling nearly 50% short of projected engagement. EA reported 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter, but this figure didn't specify unit sales, considering the game's availability through EA Play Pro and a free trial.

The combination of EA's announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and confirmed layoffs fueled concerns within the Dragon Age community about the franchise's future. No DLC is planned for Dreadwolf, 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: Dreadwolf who moved to Motive Studio to work on Iron Man, shared a message of hope on social media. She acknowledged the challenges of the past two years but emphasized her continued employment. Responding to a fan's concerns about Dragon Age's demise, Chee highlighted the power of fan contributions:

"But 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, exemplifies the enduring spirit of the franchise. The success of Dragon Age, she argued, lies in its ability to inspire creativity.

Dragon Age's history includes 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014). The latest installment, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, arrived a decade later. In September, former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed that Dragon Age: Inquisition sold over 12 million copies, significantly exceeding EA's internal projections.

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 is developing Mass Effect 5, led by veterans of the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others. EA assured IGN that the studio is appropriately staffed for the project's current development stage.