Former BioWare lead suggests Dragon Age may be dead at EA

The future of Dragon Age looks bleak, according to former BioWare creative lead Mark Darrah, who says he doesn’t believe EA will greenlight another entry in the franchise, at least not anytime soon.

Speaking with FRVR, Darrah explained that the current structure at both BioWare and EA makes a new Dragon Age project highly unlikely. After Dragon Age: Inquisition became the studio’s best‑selling game, it still took a decade for Dragon Age: The Veilguard to release, despite Darrah repeatedly trying to get another game off the ground. “I think it was happening because of EA’s complicated relationship to shipping games at all,” he said. “Someone once described to me EA as a hedge fund with a video game hobby that it wished it didn’t spend so much money on. And I think that remains true.” Following Veilguard’s worrying sales, Darrah added: “I have no concept of who could, would, possibly pitch [a new Dragon Age] at EA.”

Darrah also described EA’s internal politics around dormant IP, saying multiple stakeholders often emerge to block new pitches. Even if another EA studio attempted to revive Dragon Age, BioWare leadership would likely intervene to keep the IP under their control, but Darrah also doesn’t believe BioWare itself is in a position to pitch or build another game in the series.

These comments arrive after Dragon Age: The Veilguard faced heavy criticism from fans. The game launched in 2024 after a troubled development cycle and was widely criticised for its writing, lack of meaningful player choice, and a tone that strayed far from the series’ darker fantasy roots.

KitGuru Says: After Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I would be incredibly surprised if Dragon Age ever returned. It would seem that former BioWare devs have a similar opinion. 

Become a Patron!