In another blow to BioWare’s creative core, a director has left the studio after 18 years of tenure– and not just any director, but Corrine Busche, the head of the recent Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The news has left many worrying, especially with the rumors going on about how EA could be shutting down BioWare or some of its studios for good.
The information came from Jeff Gubb of Giantbomb who took to X/Twitter to confirm Corrine Busche’s departure. Busche leaving not even three months after Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s release could be a strong indication of failure for the franchise as EA’s AAA RPG juggernaut. Jeff Grubb, however, has some rather positive things to say about BioWare that ought to relax some fans.
Jeff Grubb appears rather confident that EA won’t be closing BioWare or one of its studios and that the rumors are unsubstantiated. At best, the rumors pointed to the shutdown of BioWare Edmonton– one studio out of many, but even Grubb was certain that that wouldn’t happen.
There’s Still Mass Effect 5
You also have to consider that BioWare is also currently working on Mass Effect 5 and until they finish that one or we see the performance of the new Mass Effect game, there should be no need to worry about BioWare’s sudden closure. BioWare itself confirmed Mass Effect 5‘s development back in 2020.
Still, losing a director for the Dragon Age line is not exactly a small thing for BioWare. Dragon Age, after all, was one of their main franchises in the AAA space. Sadly, Dragon Age: The Veilguard wasn’t exactly the critical or commercial success that EA or anyone else expected for a BioWare game given the studio’s pedigree and the franchise’s historical impact.
Some reports place the sales units of Dragon Age: The Veilguard anywhere from 1-2 million. An insider from EA even says that the expected number was around 10 million units sold since the publishing company wants “big blockbusters.” Hence, Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell significantly short according to insider testimonies.
