Dragon Age: Veilguard Director Leaves BioWare

Corinne Busche, the director behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is reportedly set to depart from EA-owned BioWare in the coming weeks. Eurogamer broke the news, noting that Busche served as game director from February 2022 until the game's launch last year. IGN has reached out to EA for further comment on this development.

Since its release in October of last year, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has faced scrutiny regarding its commercial success. Despite this, Eurogamer assures that Busche's departure will not trigger further changes within the studio. Busche, who joined BioWare in 2019 following her tenure at Maxis where she contributed to The Sims projects, played a pivotal role in steering Dragon Age: The Veilguard to completion. IGN's article, 'How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade,' highlighted the game's challenging development journey, which included a significant pivot from a multiplayer framework to a full-fledged single-player RPG.

Eurogamer emphasizes that Busche's exit is not linked to the game's market performance. EA has yet to disclose whether Dragon Age: The Veilguard met its sales and revenue targets, with the company set to announce its Q3 2025 financial results on February 4.

Moving forward, BioWare has confirmed it will not pursue any DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, instead shifting its focus to the eagerly anticipated Mass Effect 5. Although the studio has teased this project over the years, a full reveal is still pending.

In August 2023, coinciding with the release of Larian's successful Dungeons & Dragons RPG, Baldur's Gate 3, BioWare underwent significant layoffs, affecting around 50 employees, including veteran narrative designer Mary Kirby, who had been with the company 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. Rumors circulated within BioWare about a potential acquisition, and Star Wars: The Old Republic was transitioned to a third-party to allow BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

The journey of Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been tumultuous, with the initial reveal in 2024 met with negative feedback. The studio quickly responded with an early gameplay teaser to reassure fans. The title change from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard also stirred mixed reactions, though subsequent impressions were generally positive.

As BioWare navigates these changes, Dragon Age fans are left pondering whether the studio will have the opportunity to develop a sequel to The Veilguard.