Dragon Age: The Veilguard Director Leaves BioWare

Corinne Busche, the director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is set to depart from BioWare, the EA-owned studio, in the coming weeks. Busche, who took the helm as game director in February 2022, successfully guided the game to its launch in October of the previous year. Eurogamer reported on her departure, and IGN has reached out to EA for further comment on this development.

Since its release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has faced scrutiny regarding its commercial performance. However, Eurogamer emphasized that Busche's exit is not connected to the game's success or failure. EA is yet to disclose whether the game met its financial targets, with the company scheduled to report 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 leadership was pivotal in steering Dragon Age: The Veilguard through its final development stages, transitioning it from a multiplayer concept to a complete single-player RPG, as detailed in IGN's article, 'How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade.'

BioWare has confirmed that it will not produce any DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, shifting its focus to Mass Effect 5, which has been teased but not fully revealed yet. This decision comes amidst other significant changes at the studio, including layoffs in August 2023 that affected around 50 employees, including veteran narrative designer Mary Kirby.

These layoffs were part of a broader restructuring at EA, which saw the company split into sports and non-sports divisions. Rumors of BioWare's potential acquisition circulated, 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 receiving negative feedback. The studio quickly responded with an early gameplay tease to address fan concerns. The game's name change from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard also stirred mixed reactions, though subsequent impressions were generally positive.

As Busche prepares to leave BioWare, fans of the Dragon Age series are left pondering the future. Will BioWare have the opportunity to continue the saga with another sequel following The Veilguard?