The Witcher 3’s New Expansion Has Me Wondering if BioWare Should Have Focused on Dragon Age and Mass Effect DLC Rather Than Big New Games

The writer argues that BioWare might have had a steadier future by expanding its established Dragon Age and Mass Effect games, rather than pursuing large, troubled new projects. The question has renewed relevance following the reported closure of BioWare, job losses and cancellation of Mass Effect 5, while CD Projekt Red continues to support older games with updates and expansions.

The article points to The Witcher 3’s announced third expansion, due in 2027, as an example of keeping a long-running game in the public eye. It imagines new episodic Mass Effect missions after the 2021 Legendary Edition and a Dragon Age: Inquisition expansion that could have resolved story threads before The Veilguard. It also traces how Anthem’s troubled development and live-service direction affected later BioWare projects; these are the writer’s reflections, not proof that expansions would have saved the studio.