Summary
Some developers who worked onDragon Age: The Veilguardhave announced they were laid off by BioWare. These changes happened on the heels of the announcement that BioWare is “restructuring” to prepare for the development of the upcomingMass Effectgame after the completion ofDragon Age: The Veilguard.
Dragon Age: The Veilguardwas released on June 26, 2025, after being in development for nearly a decade. Despite gaining positive reviews from most critics, with an average score of 80 onOpenCritic, the game was fairly controversial among the player base, and it failed to achieve financial success. In recent financial reports, EA revealed thatDragon Age: The Veilguardperformed below expectations by 50%, reaching only 1.5 million players in 2024.
Now, as reported byIGN, BioWare is suffering from an undisclosed number of layoffs. Earlier this week, BioWare’s general manager Gary McKay announced thatBioWare would restructure for the development of the nextMass Effect, and multiple employees would be sent to other EA studios to make BioWare a “more agile, focused studio.” At the time, it did not seem that this would lead to layoffs, but social media posts indicate that at least five people were laid off. Following the announcement,Dragon Age: The Veilguardnarrative designer and lead writer Trick Weekes, editors Karin West-Weekes, andRyan Cormierindicated that they were looking for work. Senior systems designerMichelle Flammand producerJen Cheveriealso confirmed they were laid off. When asked by IGN about how many employees were laid off, BioWare declined to give specific numbers.
An Unknown Number of BioWare’s Employees Who Worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard Were Laid Off
This is certainly unfortunate news, as some of these developers like Trick Weekes were part of the company for the last two decades. In 2023, BioWare laid off 50 employees, so this continues the trend of downsizing the studio. Recently,Dragon Age: The Veilguarddirector Corinne Busche also left BioWare. However, Busche confirmed that her departure was not in any way linked to the game’s poor performance.
It seems that the development ofDragon Age: The Veilguardis finished, as the game will not receive any DLC. The mostrecentDragon Age: The Veilguardupdate was likely the last, adding quality-of-life features and fixing some bugs. It seems that more updates will only be released if new game-breaking bugs are found in the game, as the studio’s efforts will other be solely focused on the production of the upcomingMass Effectgame.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
WHERE TO PLAY
Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
