David Gaider: Dragon Age's Future Under EA Is Bleak, But He Has a Vision for a Fifth Game

David Gaider, the former lead writer of Dragon Age, said in a recent interview that the franchise is effectively dead under Electronic Arts' ownership. According to Polygon, Gaider described how EA treated Dragon Age as the "redheaded stepchild" compared to Mass Effect, dismissing the series' sales successes as "flukes" while making excuses for Mass Effect's underperformance.

polygonEx-lead writer David Gaider says Dragon Age series is unlikely to survive under EA ownership

"the 'redheaded stepchild' compared to Mass Effect"

This dismissive attitude, Gaider argued, meant that even when Dragon Age titles succeeded commercially, the publisher refused to see them as anything more than anomalies. The latest entry, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched to mixed reviews in late 2024 after a notoriously rocky and prolonged development cycle, IGN reported. The game's troubled path only reinforced Gaider's belief that EA is unlikely to invest further in the fantasy series.

IGNFormer Dragon Age Lead Writer Says BioWare's Fantasy Series is Unlikely to Ever Return Under EA — Though He Knows What He'd Do With Dragon Age 5 if He Made It

Despite his bleak outlook, Gaider confirmed that he has ideas for what he would do if given the opportunity to work on a fifth Dragon Age game. According to IGN, he knows what he would do with Dragon Age 5 if it were ever made, but he acknowledged that such a project is improbable while EA retains control of the franchise.