Dragon Age Creator Says Series May Be Finished After The Veilguard’s Sales Struggles

Dragon Age creator David Gaider has offered a bleak assessment of the fantasy role-playing series’ future, saying he believes BioWare’s long-running franchise is likely finished after the poor commercial showing of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Gaider, who is no longer with BioWare, made the comments in response to discussion around the 2024 game’s performance and what it could mean for the series. While Electronic Arts and BioWare have not announced a new Dragon Age project, Gaider said he thinks the franchise’s prospects have dimmed significantly in the wake of The Veilguard.

The remarks carry weight among longtime fans because Gaider was one of the key creative figures behind the series. He served as lead writer on Dragon Age: Origins and helped define the world of Thedas, its political conflicts, moral ambiguity and companion-driven storytelling. His work was central to the tone that many players still associate with the franchise’s earliest entries.

A darker pitch for a possible return

Despite his doubts about the series’ future, Gaider did not rule out the appeal of returning to Dragon Age in some hypothetical scenario. He said that if fate somehow gave him the chance to work on another game in the setting, he would be interested in steering it in a “dark and dangerous” direction and doing “things that will make people upset.”

That phrasing is likely to resonate with fans who have debated the changing tone of the series over the years. Dragon Age: Origins, released in 2009, leaned heavily into grim fantasy, political betrayal and consequential choices. Later entries, including Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition, broadened the series’ structure and audience while continuing to develop its lore and cast of recurring characters.

The Veilguard arrived after a long development cycle and years of anticipation, but its commercial results reportedly fell short of expectations. The game’s reception has fueled renewed discussion about BioWare’s direction, the challenges facing big-budget RPG development and whether Dragon Age still has a clear place in the modern gaming market.

Gaider’s comments do not amount to an official statement on the franchise’s status. BioWare and EA control the property, and neither has publicly declared Dragon Age over. Still, the creator’s view reflects the uncertainty surrounding the brand after a high-profile release failed to deliver the level of momentum that might ordinarily support a sequel.

For now, Dragon Age remains in a holding pattern. The series retains a devoted fan base and a substantial legacy, but its next chapter is unclear. Gaider’s willingness to imagine a harsher, riskier version of the franchise underscores both the lingering affection for Thedas and the difficulty of reviving a series when its most recent entry has struggled to meet commercial expectations.