There is really no getting around the fact that BioWare is in dire straits at the moment, now at the end of a decade of three missed opportunities

BioWare is reportedly now down to fewer than 100 employees after a round of layoffs and staff exits following the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a restructure to focus on the next Mass Effect game.

Amid changes at BioWare as the studio shifts its focus to Mass Effect 5, while shuffling some devs to other EA studios and reportedly laying some off, the project director of the upcoming sci-fi RPG has clarified that the game is "still in pre-production.

Dragon Age and Mass Effect studio BioWare has been hit by layoffs following the underperformance of its flagship RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

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.

Despite it all, Chee still seems hopeful. They write: "So a cool French woman dropped a cool quote from Camus on me today: 'In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.' (I mean, who does resistance like the French, right?) We're going through it right now. It's a lot, everywhere…"

BioWare is becoming a "more agile" and "focused" studio that aims to make "unforgettable" games, beginning with the next Mass Effect.