Overview

• Mark Darrah says BioWare repeatedly cannibalized its own teams by moving talent across projects, leaving the studio stretched "bone-thin".
• He highlights The Veilguard’s troubled production cycle, including a shift to live-service and a late return to single-player design.
• The game’s underperformance against EA’s sales targets prompted widespread layoffs and reduced BioWare to a small core team for Mass Effect 5.
• Darrah openly recommends that Mass Effect 5 developers scapegoat The Veilguard’s delays and staff departures to secure necessary backing from EA.
• He warns that EA’s one-game-at-a-time fiscal model clashes with BioWare’s multi-project structure and undermines sustained resourcing.