Corinne Busche, the director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is reportedly set to leave EA-owned BioWare in the coming weeks. Busche served as game director from February 2022 until the game's launch last October. Eurogamer first reported on her departure, and IGN has reached out to EA for comment.
Since its release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard's success has been under scrutiny. Despite this, Eurogamer notes that Busche's exit is not linked to the game’s commercial performance. EA has yet to disclose whether the game met its sales and revenue targets, with the company set to announce its Q3 2025 financial results on February 4.
Busche joined BioWare in 2019 following her work at Maxis on The Sims projects. Her role as director was crucial in steering Dragon Age: The Veilguard through its final stages of development, which followed a tumultuous decade that included a major overhaul from a multiplayer concept to a full-fledged single-player RPG. IGN’s article, ‘How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade,’ elaborates on these challenges.
BioWare has confirmed that it will not be pursuing any DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, instead shifting focus to Mass Effect 5, which has been teased but not fully revealed yet.
In August 2023, coinciding with the release of Larian’s successful Baldur’s Gate 3, BioWare laid off 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 divided into sports and other divisions. Rumors circulated that BioWare might be acquired, 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 a rollercoaster. The initial reveal in 2024, including the name change from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard, was met with negative reactions. BioWare responded swiftly by releasing an early gameplay teaser, which helped to improve impressions among fans. Now, with Busche's departure, fans are left questioning whether BioWare will have the opportunity to develop another Dragon Age sequel.
