UPDATE (17/01/25, 4:20 PM GMT): Corinne Busche has now confirmed to Eurogamer her departure from BioWare and EA via a statement, in which she wrote: “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.”
Dragon Age: The Veilguard game director Corinne Busche is reportedly leaving BioWare, having spent a total of 18 years at publisher EA working on various titles.
This is according to Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, whose confirmation of Busche leaving has since been corroborated by Eurogamer. Rumours of Busche’s departure had been coupled with speculation about the closure of BioWare’s Edmonton studio, the latter of which Grubb has suggested he doesn’t currently believe to be happening.
“Corrine BuschE, director of Dragon Age, really is leaving BioWare,” Grubb’s tweet reads in full, “But I don’t think EA is closing BioWare Edmonton. Was told there is nothing solid about that part of the rumour.” Eurogamer reports that it’s heard Veilguard’s “commercial performance was not a direct factor in Busche’s departure”.
VG247 has contacted both EA and Busche herself for comment.
Prio to becoming game girector on Veilguard in 2022, Busche had racked up a total of 18 years at EA, both as part of BioWare in various postitions, as well as working on The Sims series. She and creative director John Epler were key figures on the latest Dragon Age game in the run up to and following its release in October last year.
“This is a proficient, polished game with certain mechanics and ideas that threaten to be best-in-class,” our Alex Donaldson wrote in his review of Veilguard, “In a certain sense, this game has it all – but that all doesn’t quite coalesce in the way I’d hoped, which leaves features that are deep on paper feeling shallow. It’s a head-scratching conundrum.”
As recently as December 2024, Busche was discussing ideas that could be potentially explored in future Dragon Age games in interviews conducted with her and Epler, saying that tackling the Elven and blighty stuff Veilguard’s story revolves around had left her “curious about the other aspects that are less explored and equally as interesting: the nature of the qunari, what’s across the seas, what’s happening with the titans, the development of the dwarven people”.
How do you feel about Busche reportedly departing BioWare and did you like Veilguard? Let us know below.