Dragon Age: Veilguard Director Leaves BioWare

Corinne Busche, who served as the game director for Dragon Age: The Veilguard from February 2022 until its launch last year, is reportedly set to leave EA-owned BioWare in the coming weeks. Eurogamer broke the news, and IGN has reached out to EA for further comment on the matter.

Since its release in October of the previous year, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has faced scrutiny regarding its commercial success. However, Eurogamer notes that Busche's departure is not linked to the game's performance. EA has yet to disclose whether the game's sales and revenue have met or exceeded their expectations, with the company set to reveal its Q3 2025 financial results on February 4.

Busche joined BioWare in 2019 following her tenure at Maxis, where she contributed to the design of various The Sims projects. Her role as director was pivotal in steering Dragon Age: The Veilguard to completion during its final development stages, as detailed in IGN's article, 'How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade.' This piece highlighted the game's extensive development journey, which included a significant pivot from a multiplayer framework to a full-fledged single-player RPG.

In other news, BioWare has confirmed that there are no plans for Dragon Age: The Veilguard DLC, as the studio shifts its focus to Mass Effect 5. This upcoming title has been teased over the years but has not yet been fully revealed.

The studio faced significant changes in August 2023, when it laid off approximately 50 employees, including veteran narrative designer Mary Kirby, who had been with BioWare since the inception of Dragon Age. These layoffs were part of a broader restructuring at EA, which saw the company split into sports and non-sports divisions. Amidst these changes, rumors circulated about a potential acquisition of BioWare, and Star Wars: The Old Republic was transitioned to a third-party developer to allow BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

The reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024 was met with mixed reactions. The initial reveal trailer received negative feedback, prompting BioWare to quickly release an early gameplay teaser to reassure fans. The decision to rename the game from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard also stirred some controversy, though subsequent impressions of the game were generally positive.

As Dragon Age fans look to the future, questions remain about whether BioWare will have the opportunity to develop another sequel in the series following The Veilguard.