Dragon Age Creator Warns His Next RPG Could Decide Summerfall’s Future

Between Baldur’s Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights, and Dragon Age, narrative designer David Gaider has built a long résumé—but his next step at Summerfall Studios could determine whether the company survives. With Dragon Age reportedly paused by EA after the 2024 release of The Veilguard, the franchise’s first entry that Gaider did not write is now part of the series’ current direction.

Summerfall Studios was established in 2017 by David Gaider and Liam Esler, and it has already put out a small slate of games. Gaider’s first project after leaving the team that shipped the now-defunct Anthem was Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical in 2023, published by Balor Games. That was followed in 2025 by Malys, a roguelike deckbuilder that Summerfall chose to release under its own banner. While both titles found some success for indie releases at their scale, Gaider is now aiming higher with his next RPG—one that, depending on funding, could be the studio’s biggest gamble yet.

One Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream player took that creative impulse in a different direction, remaking characters from the Dragon Age series as Miis to live on their island.

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, David Gaider described what players should expect from Summerfall Studio’s upcoming RPG. He said, “you play a crew of rogues in an airship that go around performing heists,” adding that it isn’t intended to be “full-on comedy,” but rather something that could still “make me smile.” Even so, he later made clear that the studio has struggled to secure a publisher willing to finance the project. Summerfall has reportedly built several prototypes, but publishers who have expressed interest want the game to be at least 80% complete before committing money. That requirement creates a difficult trade-off: the studio must show enough progress to earn backing, yet still depends on backing to reach that level of completion. Gaider characterized the funding search as a “make or break” moment, suggesting the studio could even shut down if it can’t land support.

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Across the interview, Gaider argued that much of Summerfall’s current situation ties back to how much the industry has tightened during the past three years. He pointed out that game development is inherently risky, and that publishers are now reluctant to fund projects until they believe completion and release are likely. This squeeze hasn’t only affected smaller teams like Summerfall; he also noted that the studio behind Life is Strange has warned it expects its funding to run out by November 2026 and is actively seeking assistance.

If Summerfall can’t obtain financing and is forced to close, Gaider said he doesn’t yet know what he would do next. He expressed uncertainty about whether he could even secure a role at another studio, given how packed and competitive the market has become after thousands of layoffs at major publishers such as Xbox and Sony every year. For now, the best-case scenario is that he finds another opportunity if the heist-focused RPG doesn’t land the way the studio needs—and he indicated he might be willing to return to AAA development if circumstances change.

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When asked about whether he might return to Dragon Age, Gaider’s answer evolved from a firm rejection to a more open stance. He said he could take it on again, even though he also has ideas about what he would do with the franchise. While it may be “the end” of Dragon Age for the moment—especially as BioWare pivots toward Mass Effect following its own layoffs—Gaider said that if he were handed the series again, he would want to bring it back to its roots. He described a direction that goes “dark and dangerous,” with choices he believes would “make people upset.” If Summerfall’s heist RPG gets funding, fans may soon see what Gaider’s “not-a-comedy” approach looks like in practice. And if things go differently later, he suggested he could once again be in charge of a cult-favorite Dragon Age project.