Dragon Age 4 is in good shape despite an exodus of top talent

Developer BioWare confirmed today that it is humming along with work on Dragon Age 4. This is despite another key lead exiting the project. Christian Dailey, who worked at BioWare as executive producer on Dragon Age, announced he has left the studio. He joins creative director Matt Goldman and executive producer Mark Darrah on the growing list of senior Dragon Age devs who left BioWare. But while EA is losing talent in a competitive labor market, sources familiar with the project confirm to GamesBeat that Dragon Age 4 is coming together nicely. And that’s something that both Dailey and BioWare are trying to convey to fans.

“I want to reiterate that the Dragon Age team is killing it and the game is in amazing hands,” Dailey wrote on Twitter. “Don’t fall for the hate. Lots of positivity — can’t wait for when they can share more.”

So when can they share more, and when should fans expect to get the next Dragon Age? Well, the game is still at least 18 months away from coming out, according to those near the game. And BioWare gestured toward that timeline in its blog post.

“Later this year, you will start to hear more from the Dragon Age team in the form of blogs and social content,” reads the blog post.

That sounds like the Dragon Age team doesn’t even plan to launch a reveal trailer anytime soon. And while that could change, it makes sense with the game’s current projected release window.

But with so many key people leaving Dragon Age, surely that means the game is in trouble, right? Well, not necessarily. It more likely means that experienced devs see opportunities to cash in on their experience. Demand for their talent is at an all-time high, so now is the time to get paid. Internally, while Dragon Age is of course going through the challenges that all games face, development is progressing on schedule.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Mac Walters is overseeing the project as production director. Corrine Busche is still game director after 15 years at EA. And Benoit Houle is director of product development.

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz