# It sure looks like EA had been trying to end BioWare for a while

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/it-sure-looks-like-ea-had-been-trying-to-end-bioware-for-a-while/
- Published: 2026-10-30T16:11:02+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T17:41:45+00:00
- Original publisher: Destructoid
- Original article: https://www.destructoid.com/it-sure-looks-like-ea-had-been-trying-to-end-bioware-for-a-while/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- EA repeatedly changed The Veilguard’s direction during development.
- The team reportedly lacked time to remove live-service remnants.
- The article traces BioWare’s troubles to years of management choices.

## Summary

Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah says EA repeatedly changed the direction of Dragon Age: The Veilguard during development, leaving the team too little time to remove mechanics designed for a live-service game. The article argues that this helps explain the game’s simpler dialogue and action-focused play, and that management decisions had been harming the studio for years.

The piece links those pressures to broader changes after EA acquired BioWare, including the departure of lead writer Drew Karpyshyn before Mass Effect 3 and criticism of that game and Mass Effect: Andromeda. It also notes recent concerns about Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund becoming EA’s majority owner, while arguing that EA’s influence predates that change. The article’s central point is that BioWare’s setbacks stemmed largely from management, rather than any single game.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.