BioWare Veteran James Ohlen Defends The Veilguard Developers Following Studio Closure
As you may have seen, legendary RPG studio BioWare has been shut down by its parent company, Electronic Arts. Regardless of your opinion of the studio or its games, layoffs are devastating, as is the closure of the company behind some of the most beloved fantasy franchises of all time. In BioWare’s case, those franchises include Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect.
Unfortunately, not everyone responded appropriately to such an unequivocally awful situation, nor could everyone refrain from assigning blame as hundreds of people lost their livelihoods at once. Many of the responses to a post from BioWare veteran and Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 creative director James Ohlen failed to acknowledge the human cost of the closure.
Ohlen Offers Support to Former BioWare Developers
In his initial response to the devastating news, Ohlen gave a wholehearted recommendation to the people who lost their jobs at BioWare, calling them “some of the best RPG developers in the world.”
“If you’re hiring writers, designers, artists, or engineers, start with them. Former BioWare folks: if an intro from me would help, reach out,” he wrote.
It was a positive and supportive message. However, the comments were not simply filled with BioWare fans expressing sympathy, appreciation, and support for the developers who had abruptly lost their jobs. This is the internet in 2026, after all.
I am not linking to Ohlen’s original post, and I do not recommend reading its comments. They are deeply unpleasant and filled with hateful remarks blaming The Veilguard developers for BioWare’s downfall.
Ohlen Responds to the Criticism
Ohlen clearly read those comments, because he followed up with another post defending The Veilguard developers specifically.
“A lot of you replied to my last post, so here are a few thoughts.
“The majority of people on a team the size of Veilguard’s had little or no say in the things you disliked about it. Right up to the end, BioWare still had many people who worked on the games you loved. I also have my own issues with modern entertainment, especially when political messaging gets in the way of good storytelling.
“I was the guy responsible for the broodmothers in Origins, but also the guy who wanted Zevran to be a same-sex romance. Years later, my son told me he was gay—he gave me permission to share this. I converted to Catholicism several years ago. My son and I love each other and enjoy arguing over politics and religion.
“My favorite character is Conan the Barbarian, and I love the art of Frank Frazetta, Brom, and Chris Achilleos.
“What I’m trying to say is that it’s possible to hold views that don’t fit neatly into anyone’s political camp, and to love and respect people you disagree with. People are complicated. That includes the people who make the games you love or hate.”
October 22, 2026
Ohlen acknowledged that he has his “own issues with modern entertainment, especially when political messaging gets in the way of good storytelling.” At the same time, he noted that he was responsible for controversial elements such as the Broodmothers in Dragon Age: Origins and supported making Zevran available as a same-sex romance.
The Debate Over Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Although Dragon Age: The Veilguard received strong reviews from critics, many longtime Dragon Age fans have been highly critical of some of BioWare’s design decisions. Some of these complaints are entirely reasonable, but a vocal minority has focused on the introduction of a nonbinary recruitable companion as evidence that BioWare went “woke” and permanently ruined the franchise.
Those appear to be the criticisms Ohlen was addressing, even though he also believes political messaging can sometimes interfere with storytelling.
Regardless of Ohlen’s views, his support for former BioWare developers seeking work is commendable, as is his call for compassion—even when those developers commit what some critics apparently consider the cardinal sin of including nonbinary characters in video games.
EA’s Closure of BioWare Could Put Major Franchises in Question
EA killing BioWare could lead to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age rights being sold, a former lead says, but the company could just as easily “bury them in the vault.”