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 first broke the news, and IGN has reached out to EA for further comment. Busche took the helm of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in February 2022 and successfully led the project to its launch in October of the previous year. Despite questions about the game's performance since its release, Eurogamer assures that Busche's departure will not impact the studio's ongoing operations.

Before joining BioWare in 2019, Busche worked at Maxis, contributing to the design systems of various The Sims projects. Her role at BioWare was pivotal in navigating Dragon Age: The Veilguard through its final stages of development, a journey that spanned nearly a decade and involved a significant transformation from a multiplayer concept to a single-player RPG. This evolution was detailed in IGN’s article, ‘How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade.’

Eurogamer emphasizes that Busche's decision to leave is unrelated to the commercial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. As of now, EA has not disclosed whether the game's sales and revenue have met or exceeded expectations. Investors and fans alike are waiting for EA's Q3 2025 financial results, set to be reported on February 4.

Moving forward, BioWare has confirmed that there will be no DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Instead, the studio is shifting its focus to the development of Mass Effect 5, a project that has been teased but not fully revealed yet.

The backdrop to these developments includes significant changes at BioWare. In August 2023, the studio laid off approximately 50 employees, including long-time staff like narrative designer Mary Kirby, who had been with BioWare since the inception of the Dragon Age series. These layoffs occurred around the same time as the release of Larian's highly successful Dungeons & Dragons RPG, Baldur’s Gate 3.

These layoffs were part of a broader restructuring at EA, which split the company into sports and non-sports divisions. Amidst this shakeup, rumors circulated about a potential acquisition of BioWare, and Star Wars: The Old Republic was transitioned to a third-party service, allowing BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

The rollercoaster continued with the reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024. The initial reveal trailer received negative feedback, prompting BioWare to quickly release an early gameplay tease to reassure fans. The decision to rename the game from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard also faced criticism, though subsequent impressions were more positive.

With Busche's departure and the studio's shift in focus, Dragon Age fans are left pondering the future of the franchise. Will BioWare have the opportunity to create another Dragon Age sequel following The Veilguard?