Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider moves on to something new

Dragon Age: Inquisition

David Gaider, the lead writer on Dragon Age games from Origins to Inquisition—that is to say, all of them—has announced that he's leaving the series to work on a new BioWare project.

"So a bit of news: I have decided leave Dragon Age and move onto a new, upcoming BioWare project (which I can't discuss)," Gaider tweeted earlier this afternoon. "While it's hard to leave Dragon Age behind, 10 years is a long time to work on any one project. I decided it was time for something new."

Dragon Age wasn't Gaider's only contribution to the BioWare oeuvre. He also served as the lead writer on the Neverwinter Nights expansions Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark, and worked as a designer on Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn and the Throne of Bhaal expansion, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Taking his place at the helm will be BioWare veteran Patrick Weekes, who's no slouch in the fiction-crafting department either: He has writing credits on all the Mass Effect games and expansions, as well as Dragon Age: Inquisition. "I'm honored to be continuing the Dragon Age story that @davidgaider set in motion, and I look forward to adding a lot of sexy unicorns now," Weekes tweeted.

Neither Gaider nor BioWare have offered any hint as to what this mysterious new project might be, but given that he's made the announcement about the move, I'd expect something to be revealed fairly soon. We'll keep you posted.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.