Matt Goldman, the senior creative director of Dragon Age and 21 year veteran of BioWare, has left the company. The report comes from Kotaku.
Goldman started at BioWare with a stint as Art Director from 1998 through 2005, per his LinkedIn profile. He worked on a handful of titles, including Jade Empire, before a brief stint at Microsoft Ensemble Studios from 2006-2009. After returning to Bioware in February 2009, he’s worked on the Dragon Age franchise exclusively. Starting as an Art Director, he became Principle Visual Director in October 2014 before becoming a Senior Creative Director for the franchise.
Kotaku was able to obtain a staff email regarding Goldman’s departure from BioWare studio GM Gary McKay.
Hi everyone,
I hope you are well. I’m writing to inform you all that Matt Goldman is leaving BioWare. We have mutually agreed to part ways, and his last day is today.
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 taht is not up to BioWare’s standards.
We, including EA’s executive team, have absolute confidence in the leadership here at the studio and people working on this game to carry forward our vision.
Source: Kotaku
His departure comes at an uncertain time for the Dragon Age franchise. We’ve seen two teasers for the series’ next entry at The Game Awards: One in 2018, the other in 2020.
No further details or specifics have been released. Given the troubling development cycle around the game, as reported by Jason Schreier, this isn’t exactly a surprise.