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

EA's recent restructuring of BioWare prioritized Mass Effect 5, resulting in some Dragon Age: Dreadwolf team members transferring to other EA studios (Game Developer reported John Epler, Dreadwolf's creative director, joined Full Circle's Skate project). Others, however, faced layoffs.

This followed EA's announcement of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's underperformance. EA reported 1.5 million engaged players during a recent quarter, significantly below projections (a nearly 50% shortfall). It's unclear if this figure represents unit sales, incorporates EA Play Pro subscriptions, or accounts for free trials via EA Play.

Regardless, the announcement, BioWare's restructure, and confirmed layoffs fueled fan concerns about the Dragon Age franchise's future. No DLC is planned for Dreadwolf, and BioWare's work concluded recently with what appeared to be a final major update.

However, Sheryl Chee, a senior writer on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf who transitioned to Motive Studio's Iron Man project, 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 expressing grief over Dragon Age's perceived 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 creations, inspired by the Dragon Age universe, demonstrate the franchise's enduring impact.

Dragon Age, launched with 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014), saw a significant gap before the release of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. In September, former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed Dragon Age: Inquisition's sales exceeded EA's internal projections by a "massive" margin, exceeding 12 million copies.

While EA hasn't explicitly declared Dragon Age defunct, the future of the series remains uncertain given BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5 and the events surrounding Dreadwolf's development. EA confirmed a dedicated team at BioWare is developing Mass Effect 5, led by veterans of the original trilogy. They declined to share specific numbers but assured sufficient personnel are assigned to the project.