Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's production director has left BioWare after a long and fruitful career writing and producing several of the studio's most iconic games. With BioWare's Dragon Age: Dreadwolf still in development and without a release date, the departure of veteran developer Mac Walters raises some questions about what's going on at the studio.
Mac Walters began his career with BioWare in 2003 as a writer for Jade Empire which was considered to be one of the best RPGs of its time thanks to its intriguing story and branching dialogue, elements that would go on to be BioWare's trademarks for decades to come. Walters' next role was as a senior writer for the original Mass Effect before eventually becoming the lead writer for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. After the Mass Effect trilogy, Walters began directing BioWare projects such as Anthem, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and the recent Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster.
Walters announced his departure amicably on LinkedIn, reflecting positively on his time at BioWare and expressing gratitude toward the people he worked with over the years. Though the decision was made toward the end of 2022, Walter didn't provide a specific reason for leaving BioWare other than saying that the choice was "very difficult." His current status on LinkedIn shows that he's now on a personal goal pursuit amid this career break.
A number of developers have left BioWare in the last few years, including Star Wars: The Old Republic's creative director and numerous developers who worked on Anthem as writers, animators, and directors. BioWare has been struggling to live up to its once-legendary reputation, with Anthem largely failing to deliver on the hype. BioWare has been aware of these shortcomings, with blog posts by BioWare's general manager discussing how the studio is currently focused on "rebuilding [its] reputation." 2021's Mass Effect Legendary Edition, a remaster, was one of the studio's most successful releases after a decade-long slump.
Mac Walters was the production director of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Development of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has been derailed a few times over the years as BioWare faced difficulties with Anthem and Mass Effect Andromeda, and BioWare's struggles regarding senior developers leaving the studio haven't helped. Hopefully, BioWare will return to form and deliver a game that lives up to the high bar left behind by developers like Walters.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.