Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah has stated that he believes EA and BioWare failed to provide adequate support to his team in the early stages of developing Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
The veteran developer shared insights into his work on the acclaimed RPG series in a recent video on his YouTube channel. His account focuses on 2017, a period Darrah describes as "the most impactful 12 months in BioWare's history." He discusses how certain decisions not only shaped the initial development of last year's Dragon Age title but were also connected to the final phase of Mass Effect: Andromeda's production.
The story begins in late 2016, when Darrah was temporarily assigned to the team finishing Andromeda. He recalls that the Dragon Age team felt "jerked around" and believed they had "no support from BioWare or EA." The intention was for Darrah to help ship Mass Effect, freeing up resources for the next Dragon Age, but this strategy did not fully succeed.
"This was the first instance of leadership discontinuity, where a project lead was moved to assist another project while their original project continued," Darrah explained. "In the case of Mass Effect: Andromeda, the direct impact on Dragon Age wasn't massive—the move was brief—but it set a dangerous precedent. It's incredibly risky for a project to proceed without its core leadership."
Mass Effect: Andromeda launched in March 2017 and, in Darrah's words, "it doesn’t go well." During this time, BioWare was adapting to new reporting structures under EA leadership that were intensely focused on the studio's projects. Darrah describes this shift as dramatic, noting EA's disinterest in continuing Mass Effect after its troubled release. He felt, however, that Dragon Age still lacked necessary support even after Andromeda was completed.
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Darrah says he raised his concerns with then-EA CEO Andrew Wilson and executive Patrick Söderlund, receiving assurances about Dragon Age's importance. EA provided minimal additional resources in mid-2017 to sustain the studio's work, but staff were then informed—without prior consultation—that veteran Casey Hudson was returning to BioWare, a major organizational shakeup.
"Remember, I was the second most senior person at BioWare," Darrah stated. "Casey was interviewed, hired, and prepared to return without my involvement in any way. Would my input have changed the decision? Probably not, but it shows immense disrespect to make a hire of this magnitude without consulting the studio's second-ranking leader."
Darrah anticipated BioWare would pivot its focus to Anthem. When he expressed this worry to EA, leadership reiterated their commitment to supporting Dragon Age.
"As we all know, that’s not what happened at all," he added.
EA's investment in Anthem grew until its own problematic launch in 2019. Throughout this period, Darrah felt his trust in the company was "constantly hammered" and "challenged." Resources were repeatedly diverted from what would become Dragon Age: The Veilguard through 2019, forcing what Darrah calls "fundamental" changes to the project's scope and vision.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard finally launched in late 2024 as BioWare's latest major fantasy RPG. Despite positive critical reception—including a 9/10 score from our review—EA later described its launch as disappointing, stating it failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." Former BioWare developers contested this assessment, with some suggesting the company should learn from the approach of Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios.
Following a studio refocus onto Mass Effect 5, numerous Dragon Age developers were laid off in January of this year.
