BioWare says development of the next Dragon Age game is coming along well, but has also lost a significant leadership figure. Christian Dailey, who took over as executive producer following the departure of Mark Darrah in December 2020, has left the studio.
“As we continue our journey, we wanted to wish Christian Dailey a heartfelt farewell from BioWare,” BioWare general manager Gary McKay wrote. “Christian started with us back in 2018 and has been a big influence on our games and leadership team, most recently as Executive Producer over Dragon Age’s development. The games industry is ever-changing though and sometimes folks want to go and try new things—we understand, but we will miss him as a friend and as a colleague.”
Prior to taking the reins on Dragon Age, Dailey was the franchise development director for Anthem live services, and then the studio director at BioWare Austin. He confirmed his departure from BioWare on Twitter, saying that he is “looking forward to cheering on the team and playing as a fan.”
Hi friends. I wanted to pass on the news that I am leaving BioWare. The next Dragon Age is in great hands. Looking forward to cheering on the team and playing as a fan. Please follow my friends on the latest and greatest moving forward. Much love #DragonAge #Anthem family. 🐲🤖 https://t.co/y3OZ5vb8D2February 23, 2022
Dailey said he doesn’t currently have any future plans to share, although he hinted—perhaps jokingly—that he might be interested in following in Darrah’s footsteps as a streamer. He didn’t reveal his reasons for leaving BioWare, but did strongly imply that it was an amicable split.
“I want to reiterate that the Dragon Age team is killing it and the game is in amazing hands,” he tweeted. “Don’t fall for the hate. Lots of positivity, can’t wait for when they can share more.”
The new Dragon Age project is now “in the middle of production,” McKay wrote in the update. “Our blueprint was completed last year, so we’re now focused on building out our vision: creating amazing environments, deep characters, strong gameplay, impactful writing, emotional cinematics—and much more. The blueprint for the game is well understood and the team is focused.”
Dailey’s departure comes just three months after the loss of Dragon Age 4 senior creative director Matt Goldman, but McKay said the project remains headed up by “a strong leadership team of industry and Dragon Age veterans.” That includes production director Mac Walters, a BioWare veteran who previously directed the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition; longtime Electronic Arts employee Corrine Busche as game director; and Benoit Houle, who has credits on every Dragon Age game since Origins (and most Mass Effect games as well), as director of product development.
McKay said BioWare will begin to share more about the new Dragon Age later this year. There’s still no indication of a possible release target, but we expect that it’s still quite a distance off. Speaking of games with no launch windows, McKay also re-affirmed that BioWare is still working on a new Mass Effect game, and that the development team headed up by Mike Gamble is “actively prototyping new ideas and experiences.”