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UPDATE 4pm UK: Dragon Age game director Corinne Busche has now confirmed her departure from BioWare and EA in a statement to Eurogamer.
In it, Busche said she had left the studio for a new post elsewhere, after being offered an oppurtunity to build a fresh RPG she “couldn’t turn down”.
“At the heart of it, this was about my own fulfillment,” Busche told Eurogamer. “I did what I set out to do at BioWare. That is to come in and help right the ship. I love Dragon Age, and BioWare, so the chance to return the game to a proper quality single player RPG was the privilege of a lifetime.
“It was hard fought, as games with such tumultuous dev cycles rarely end up shipping, and even more rarely turn out great. We, as a team, did it. And it was hard. It took a toll on me. BioWare still has a lot of work to do culturally, but I do believe they are on the right footing now.
“As for me, my departure was voluntary, as I have been presented with an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I don’t want to say much more right now, but you can count on it being in the CRPG space and upholding the traditions of great characters.”
ORIGINAL STORY 1.45pm UK:
Corinne Busche, who served as game director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard since February 2022, is departing BioWare.
Whispers of her exit began circulating online last night, and were first confirmed by journalist Jeff Grubb. Eurogamer can also confirm Busche is leaving BioWare.
Eurogamer understands BioWare itself is otherwise unaffected by any other changes, contrary to rumour.
Busche, working closely alongside creative director John Epler, helped oversee The Veilguard’s final stretch of development from early 2022 onwards, until its final release last October.
The Veilguard slogged through a mammoth decade-long development and several reboots before the version we finally saw launch arrived, steered by Busche.
Critically, The Veilguard has been received well, and commercially sales have been decent – but there’s also been a suggestion that sales have not exceeded expectations. Still, Eurogamer understands The Veilguard’s commercial performance was not a direct factor in Busche’s departure.
Alongside her work on The Veilguard, Busche has served as a designer and design director within publisher EA for 18 years, working on numerous entries in The Sims series, including The Sims 3, The Sims 4 and The Sims Mobile.
Post Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the bulk of BioWare is now turning its attention fully to the next Mass Effect game, which is being led by a separate small team of veterans.
Eurogamer spoke with both Busche and Epler in December for our big Dragon Age: The Veilguard post-release interview. “The reality was whatever we came out with, it was never going to match the Dragon Age 4 in people’s minds and people’s imaginations,” Epler said.
Kurt Indovina
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