BioWare general manager Gary McKay tried to explain the current state of the studio in a new blog post that was full of vague ambitions but light on actual specifics. We know that the studio has completely moved on from last year’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard and is focused entirely on making the next Mass Effect.

BioWare now has fewer than 100 employees after laying off “around two dozen” staffers and shifting others to different projects at EA, Bloomberg reports.

The studio is said to have less than 100 active employees at the moment, which constitutes fewer than half of the BioWare staff levels reported in 2023. The drastic downsizing is a mix of layoffs and reshuffles, with company veterans such as Dragon Age lead writer Trick Weekes finding themselves out of a job.

Mass Effect 4 has a chance to refine its RPG mechanics, but looking at Dragon Age: The Veilguard may be the key to deeper customization.

BioWare is being downsized as it focuses its attention on Mass Effect 5 General manager Gary McKay says "We don’t require support from the full studio" Many long-time Dragon Age developers have been laid off EA has announced it is restructuring BioWare as it shifts its full attention to Mass Effect 5.

The Veilguard. I don't mean this in the sense that I didn't enjoy BioWare's latest RPG, because I loved it in many respects. But after 10 years of build up and anticipation, it's bittersweet to see The Veilguard close the book on a big chapter of Thedas.

The next Mass Effect project is still growing in size and isn't ready for the bulk of BioWare staff to jump aboard, former studio veteran Mark Darrah has said.

BioWare developers were laid off as the studio focuses on the next Mass Effect game. Dragon Age staff members are being offered new roles after layoffs due to sales projections. Other game development studios like Phoenix Labs and Microsoft are also facing layoffs in 2025.