Dragon Age Dreadwolf dev lays off all unionized QA workers

Dragon Age 4
(Image credit: BioWare)

All unionized Dragon Age Dreadwolf QA testers have been laid off.

Polygon reported yesterday, October 4, that a total of 13 quality assurance developers working on Dragon Age 4 had all been laid off. All these developers weren't working internally at Dragon Age developer BioWare, but were instead working from QA outsourcing company Keyword Studios.

The workers at Keywords Studios were originally laid off from the outsourcing company last month in September, as a result of BioWare declining to continue its contract with the company the month prior in August. Polygon then received confirmation from Keywords Studios itself that the 13 workers had been laid off.

The QA workers at the studio originally voted to unionize last year in June 2022. Keywords Studios was contracted to assist BioWare Edmonton with QA work, and at the time last year, all 16 voters at the studio opted to unionize. This actually made the studio the first to vote to unionize in Canada, at the time.

Keywords Studios has apparently offered the 13 developers "minimal severance," according to a union that's now filed an employment standards complaint against the studio. At the time of writing, severance has not been paid out to the developers that were laid off last month in September.

This isn't the first time BioWare has laid off staffers this year. In August, the studio laid off a total of 50 developers, reassuring worried fans that the move was done to ensure that "Dragon Age Dreadwolf is an outstanding game." We've still got no firm release date for Dragon Age Dreadwolf, several years after it was originally announced.

Additionally, seven of the 50 affected developers from August are in the middle of suing BioWare for better severance, as first reported by Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach just below. This case is unrelated to the labor complaint filed by the union yesterday, which means BioWare is currently facing two cases of legal action.

Dragon Age fans were especially sad to see one veteran writer depart, who was previously responsible for shaping some of the most memorable moments in the series so far.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshot of Solas
EA says Dragon Age: The Veilguard sales are "down nearly 50% from the company’s expectations"
Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshot showing Bellara and Rook fighting an enemy
EA says Mass Effect 5 is now BioWare's "full focus" as it shuffles devs to other studios, with some reportedly facing layoffs following Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance
Dragon Age: The Veilguard reveal trailer screenshot showing two of the companions, Varric and Harding
As layoffs reportedly hit BioWare, Former Dragon Age writer tells fans not to worry: "DA isn't dead because it's yours now"
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Baldur's Gate 3 dev slams EA's BioWare layoffs as "a short-term cost-saving measure" that "doesn't solve a long-term problem"
Dragon Age: The Veilguard reveal trailer screenshot showing a close-up of an elf's stern face, a blade held up beside his cheek
Dragon Age: The Veilguard was loved by "those who played," EA insists, but "it did not resonate with a broad enough audience"
Dragon Age: The Veilguard reveal trailer screenshot showing Lace Harding, a dwarven woman with long red hair and a freckled face
Not even 3 months after releasing Dragon Age: The Veilguard, game director Corinne Busche is leaving BioWare following an 18-year career with EA
Latest in RPG
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 screenshot of Henry wearing a fancy coat, hat, and spectacles
I'm terrible at the combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, so I'm beating the RPG as a medieval rizz master instead
Four adventurers journey into a dim dungeon
Dark and Darker's legal battles are far from over as the popular extraction RPG has been pulled from the Epic Games Store again
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds art director and 20-year series vet says the new game intentionally leans into a question fans have debated forever: "What is a hunter?"
Skyrim
Skyrim is still an all-time great for asset reuse: this hunk of human flesh could be some poor guard's glute, or probably just a piece of repurposed beef
Infinity Nikki
Infinity Nikki and The Sims' return are only the start of a retro gaming renaissance for Y2K girlies
Avowed screenshot of the godlike envoy with branch-like antlers, pink hair, and mushroom decals framing her eyes. A bow is on her back.
Some of Avowed's most memorable smaller instances are reminding me of the magic of Red Dead Redemption 2's random encounters
Latest in News
Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette in Mickey 17
Although the Mickey 17 cast were at first baffled by the unique way Parasite director Bong Joon Ho works, now they want it no other way
Hollow Knight
Day 1,251: Hollow Knight's strongest soldier has been fighting the boss version of Silksong star Hornet every day for over 3 years, and watching them master the Metroidvania in real time is truly amazing
Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
The Monopoly movie from Margot Robbie's production company will be written by the Dungeons and Dragons movie directors
The two characters in Split Fiction dressed in fantasy gear each with a dragon on their back
2025's first standout GOTY contenders, Monster Hunter Wilds, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, and Split Fiction, are coming to GeForce Now
Lego Jurassic World baby dinosaur dolores
New baby Lego Jurassic World dino has not a single thought behind its eyes
Monster Hunter Wilds beta and trailer screenshots
No one is safe from Monster Hunter Wilds' monstrous menus: BioWare lead says he forgot "how…interesting…the matchmaking and world sharing in these games were"