Dragon Age 4 remains one of the biggest question marks when you look at major upcoming games that are currently in development, and its development seems to have hit another obstacle. As revealed in report by Kotaku, the senior creative director of the franchise, Matt Goldman – who was occupying the same role for its next entry – has left BioWare. Goldman had been leading development on the game since its reported reboot in 2017.
In an email sent by BioWare to its staff, the developer revealed that Goldman has left the studio, with the two parties “mutually agreeing to part ways”, although there’s no mention of what brought about this departure. Goldman first joined BioWare in 1998. In his first stint at the studio, which lasted over seven years, he worked on Baldur’s Gate and Jade Empire. He rejoined in 2009, following which he worked on every game in the Dragon Age series, and was also involved in the development of Mass Effect: Andromeda.
In the aforementioned email, BioWare GM Gary McKay admitted that Goldman’s departure could have an impact on the game’s development, but insisted that it remains committed to delivering a quality experience. The email reads: “We understand that Matt’s departure has an impact on you, as well as the game’s development. Rest assured our commitment to a high-quality Dragon Age game has not waivered, and we will not ship a game that is not up to BioWare’s standards.
“We, including EA’s executive team, have absolute confidence in the leadership here at the studio and the people working on this game to carry forward our vision.”
Meanwhile, an EA representative also confirmed Goldman’s departure in a statement provided to Kotaku, saying: “Matt Goldman is no longer working at BioWare. He leaves the next Dragon Age game in excellent hands, with the team here at the studio who will carry forward our vision for the game.”
Goldman is far from the only high profile development lead to have left the Dragon Age team in the last couple of years. In 2019, lead producer Fernando Melo left BioWare, while in late 2020, the Dragon Age series’ executive producer Mark Darrah left the studio as well.
Details on Dragon Age 4 have been scant, even though it’s now been three years since the game was officially confirmed to be in development. Earlier this year, Christian Dailey, studio head at BioWare Austin, said that the game’s development was “making great progress”, and reports have said since then that the game is on track for 2023 launch. It’s also been reported that the RPG will not be cross-gen release, instead releasing only for PC and new-gen consoles.