Corinne Busche, the director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is reportedly set to depart from EA-owned BioWare in the coming weeks, according to Eurogamer. Busche, who took the helm as game director in February 2022, led the project to its launch in October of the previous year. IGN has reached out to EA for further comments on this development.
Since its release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has faced scrutiny over its commercial success. However, Eurogamer notes that Busche's departure is not connected to the game's performance. EA has yet to disclose whether the game's sales and revenue met their expectations, with the company set to reveal its Q3 2025 financial results on February 4.
Busche joined BioWare in 2019 after contributing to system design at Maxis on various The Sims projects. Her role was crucial in steering Dragon Age: The Veilguard to completion during its final years of development, a journey detailed in IGN's article, 'How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade.' The game underwent a significant overhaul from a multiplayer framework to a full single-player RPG.
BioWare has confirmed that there will be no DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as the studio shifts its focus to Mass Effect 5. Despite teasers over the years, Mass Effect 5 has yet to be fully revealed.
In August 2023, amidst the release of Larian's successful Dungeons & Dragons RPG, Baldur's Gate 3, BioWare laid off around 50 workers, including veteran narrative designer Mary Kirby, who had been with the company since the inception of Dragon Age. These layoffs were part of a broader internal restructuring at EA, which saw the company divide into sports and non-sports divisions. Amidst these changes, Star Wars: The Old Republic was transitioned to a third-party to allow BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
The journey for Dragon Age continued with its reveal in 2024, which initially received negative feedback. This led BioWare to quickly release an early gameplay tease to reassure fans. The title change from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard also faced criticism. However, subsequent impressions of the game were generally positive.
With Busche's departure and the studio's focus shifting to Mass Effect 5, Dragon Age fans are left questioning the future of the series and whether BioWare will have the opportunity to create another Dragon Age sequel.
