Former Dragon Age series executive producer Mark Darrah has stated that he believes EA and BioWare failed to adequately support his team during the initial development phase of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
The former BioWare developer discussed his experiences with the renowned fantasy RPG series in a recent video on his YouTube channel. He recounts events from 2017, a period he describes as "the most significant 12 months in BioWare's history." His account covers not only choices that shaped the early development of last year's Dragon Age title but also how a shifting corporate culture coincided with the final development stages of Mass Effect: Andromeda.
The story begins in late 2016 when Darrah was reassigned to assist with the final development push for Andromeda. He recalls that the Dragon Age team felt "disrupted and neglected," perceiving a lack of support from both BioWare and EA. The intention was for Darrah to help finalize Mass Effect's release, thereby freeing up resources for the next Dragon Age project, though this strategy ultimately proved unsuccessful.
"This marked the first instance of leadership disruption, where a project lead was reassigned to support another title while their original project continued development," Darrah explained. "In the case of Mass Effect: Andromeda, the direct impact on Dragon Age wasn't massive, and the duration was brief. However, it established a problematic precedent. It's extremely risky for a project to continue without its core leadership team in place."
Mass Effect: Andromeda launched in March 2017 and, by Darrah's own admission, "the reception was poor." During this period, BioWare was adapting to a new reporting structure under EA leadership that was "highly engaged" with the studio's projects and roadmaps. Darrah describes this shift as significant, noting that EA's new management showed little interest in continuing the Mass Effect franchise following its troubled launch. Despite shipping Andromeda, Darrah felt Dragon Age still wasn't receiving the necessary support.
The Best BioWare RPGs
Pick a winner
New duel
1ST
2ND
3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community’s!Continue playingSee results
The former BioWare lead mentioned that he expressed his concerns directly to current EA CEO Andrew Wilson and former executive Patrick Söderlund, receiving assurances about Dragon Age's importance to the company. Although EA provided limited additional resources in mid-2017 to sustain the studio's workflow, the BioWare team was unexpectedly informed that veteran developer Casey Hudson would be rejoining the company. This major organizational change was communicated to staff without prior consultation.
"It's important to remember that I was the second most senior person at BioWare," Darrah stated. "Casey was interviewed, hired, and his return was arranged without any input from me whatsoever. Would my involvement have altered the decision? Probably not, but the complete lack of consultation on a hire of this magnitude shows a profound disregard for the studio's senior leadership."
Darrah anticipated that BioWare's focus would shift toward Anthem. When he raised these concerns with EA leadership, he was told they remained committed to prioritizing Dragon Age.
"As we now know, that commitment was not honored," he added.
EA's investment in Anthem grew substantially until its own troubled launch in 2019. Throughout this period, Darrah felt his trust in the company was "repeatedly tested" and "continually undermined." Resources were consistently diverted from what would become Dragon Age: The Veilguard throughout 2019, resulting in what Darrah calls "fundamental" alterations to the project's core vision.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard eventually launched in late 2024 as BioWare's latest major fantasy RPG. Despite receiving positive critical reviews (including a 9/10 from our publication), EA characterized its commercial performance as disappointing, stating in February that it failed to "attract a sufficiently wide audience." These remarks were later challenged by former BioWare developers, with some suggesting the company could learn from Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios' approach.
Numerous Dragon Age team members were laid off this past January as the studio pivoted its focus back to the development of Mass Effect 5.
