(Image credit: EA/BioWare)
The entire original Dragon Age trilogy owes a great deal to David Gaider, who held the position of lead writer for Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Inquisition before ending his 17-year tenure at BioWare in 2016. Yet, Gaider remarks that even if he had continued working a bit longer, EA’s live service plans for the series would likely have driven him away swiftly. Read more on GamesRadar+.
In a conversation with GamesRadar+, Gaider reveals, “Had I stuck with Dragon Age instead of shifting to the ill-fated Anthem, I believe I would have stayed at BioWare longer than I did.” Even aligning with the series through Joplin and Morrison, the two abandoned Dragon Age endeavors that paved the way for The Veilguard, he feels the exit of Mike Laidlaw, the mastermind behind those scrapped projects, would have signaled his exit, too.
“I would have had no impact on that succession of events,” Gaider comments. “I would have been going with the flow as everyone else was. My assessment of internal matters was that the very cause that led to Mike’s departure would have prompted mine as well. I cannot foresee a scenario where Mike would have exited and I’d have remained like, ‘Alright!'” Learn more about BioWare.
Gaider remains firm that even with a potential senior management offer on Dragon Age – a prospect he finds unlikely given his rapport with EA and advocacy for ‘old-fashioned’ mechanics – he would have opted out. This is largely attributable to the events post-Joplin’s cancellation by EA. He nods to fellow BioWare veteran, Mark Darrah, stating, “I would not have endured the termination of Joplin, for it would have meant embracing a live service Dragon Age. Being the proponent of traditional RPG mechanics, hearing ‘we’re ditching the narrative-driven Dragon Age for a live-service style’ would have led me to say, see ya.”
Gaider emphasizes that he would have left regardless, even if BioWare and EA had surprisingly offered him a creative director position after years of being overlooked for promotions. “Imagining a scenario where they had offered me the role of creative director post-Mike on Live Service Dragon Age – what a devil’s contract that would have been.”
In reality, Gaider parted ways with BioWare in 2016. Somewhat bittersweetly, he witnessed his viewpoints somewhat validated as Anthem‘s failure steered BioWare towards Veilguard’s embracing of more traditional RPG styles. Regrettably, the studio had to witness the departure of numerous seasoned talents to reach that point. Discover more gaming updates.
Beyond his RPG expertise, Gaider shares insights on JRPGs, as highlighted by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Explore more on JRPGs.