Mass Effect 5 devs should use Dragon Age: The Veilguard as a "scapegoat" so they can "get what they need" from EA, says former BioWare exec

Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah says the studio should use Dragon Age: The Veilguard as a "scapegoat" to get the resources it needs for Mass Effect 5.

The next Mass Effect game is BioWare's only big project known to be in development, and Darrah reckons this perceived focus on one, single game will make its development cycle "less messy" than previous titles, which in the past have "cannibalized" each other, in his words.

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Darrah adds that, "the problem with being single project is you have this sort of boom and bust thing happening, where you get really big, and then you have to slim down.

"Now, EA seems to be trying to move to some sort of model where people flow within the overall organization a lot more. So maybe that will be fine. Maybe that'll work out great, but it remains to be seen."

Darrah left BioWare in December 2020 alongside longtime Mass Effect director Casey Hudson after more than two decades with the company. With Mass Effect 5 having been announced in 2020 but presumably kicking into full development post-The Veilguard, that means Darrah hasn't had his hands in its development, but his insights as a BioWare veteran from the very beginning nonetheless carry a lot of weight.

One thing's for sure: Both the Mass Effect series and BioWare as a whole are in desperate need of a bounce back after Andromeda and The Veilguard, respectively, and all eyes are on Mass Effect 5 to see whether it sticks the landing.

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After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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