"Ex-BioWare Lead: EA's Lack of Interest Caused 'Jerked Around' Team on Dragon Age: The Veilguard"

Former Dragon Age series executive producer Mark Darrah has expressed concerns about the lack of support from EA and BioWare during the early development stages of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Darrah recounted his experiences throughout 2017, describing it as "the most impactful 12 months in BioWare’s history." He discussed the decisions that influenced the early development of the latest Dragon Age game and how these were linked to the final stages of Mass Effect: Andromeda's development.

In late 2016, Darrah was reassigned to the team working on the final stages of Mass Effect: Andromeda. He noted that the Dragon Age team felt "jerked around" and unsupported by both BioWare and EA. The aim was for Darrah to help Mass Effect: Andromeda reach completion so that resources could be redirected to the next Dragon Age project. However, this plan did not fully materialize.

Darrah explained the dangers of leadership discontinuity, saying, "This was the first time where we had this leadership discontinuity, where the person in charge of a project left that project to help someone else, some other project, while the project continued to run. In the case of Mass Effect: Andromeda, I don’t think the impact to Dragon Age was huge. It wasn’t very long, but it did set this precedent as this being a thing that we could do, and it’s not a good thing to do. It is incredibly dangerous to have a project run while it’s missing some of its core leadership."

Mass Effect: Andromeda was released in March 2017, and Darrah described its launch as unsuccessful. During this period, BioWare was undergoing a structural change, reporting to new leadership at EA who were highly focused on the studio's projects. Darrah noted that the new bosses were uninterested in continuing with Mass Effect due to its troubled launch, yet he felt that Dragon Age was also not receiving the necessary support post-Andromeda.

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Darrah approached EA CEO Andrew Wilson and former EA executive Patrick Söderlund with his concerns and received reassurances about Dragon Age's importance to the company. Despite this, EA provided limited resources during the summer of 2017, and staff were informed without prior notice of the return of BioWare veteran Casey Hudson. Darrah, being the second most senior person at BioWare, felt disrespected by the lack of consultation in this significant decision.

Darrah predicted BioWare would shift its focus to Anthem, and despite reassurances from EA about Dragon Age's priority, this did not happen. EA's focus on Anthem intensified until its troubled 2019 launch, while Darrah felt his trust in the company was continually undermined. Resources were diverted from Dragon Age: The Veilguard throughout 2019, leading to significant changes in the project's direction.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released in late 2024 and received positive reviews, earning a 9/10 from critics. However, EA labeled its launch as underwhelming, claiming it failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement was contested by former BioWare developers, who suggested EA should take a page from Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios.

In January of this year, many Dragon Age developers were laid off as BioWare shifted its focus back to Mass Effect 5.