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." This follows EA's restructuring of BioWare to prioritize Mass Effect 5, resulting in some Dreadwolf team members transferring to other EA studios, while others faced layoffs.

This restructuring came after EA announced Dragon Age: Dreadwolf underperformed, engaging only 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter – significantly below projections (a near 50% shortfall). It's unclear if this figure represents unit sales, incorporates EA Play Pro subscriptions, or accounts for a free trial offered through EA Play.

Regardless, the announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and the layoffs fueled concerns within the Dragon Age community that the franchise is effectively defunct. No DLC is planned for Dreadwolf, and BioWare's work on the game concluded recently with what appeared to be its final major update.

However, former senior writer Sheryl Chee, now at Motive Studios working on Iron Man, offered a message of hope on social media. She acknowledged the challenging 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."

Chee further explained that fan-created content, such as AU stories, embodies the spirit of Dragon Age and fulfills the game's purpose.

The Dragon Age series, launched in 2010 with Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Inquisition (2014), saw a significant gap before the release of Dreadwolf. Interestingly, former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed in September that Inquisition sold over 12 million copies, exceeding EA's internal projections.

While EA hasn't explicitly declared Dragon Age dead, the future of the franchise remains uncertain given BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5. 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 stated the team is adequately sized for the current development stage.