BioWare’s David Gaider departs after 17 years

David Gaider – member of BioWare since 1999 – announced his departure from BioWare via Twitter today: 

Some news: I must sadly announce that, after 17 years, today is my last day at BioWare. I’ll miss my team, and wish everyone here the best.

— David Gaider (@davidgaider) January 22, 2016

Aaryn Flynn, general manager of BioWare, tweeted this in response:

An enormous thank you from all of BioWare for David’s contributions to our games. You’re always welcome here! 🙂 https://t.co/Za6DOrTYB1

— Aaryn Flynn (@AarynFlynn) January 22, 2016

For fans of BioWare’s Dragon Age series and Knights of the Old Republic, this is a sad day. Gaider was responsible for many fan favorite characters — including HK-47, Alistair, Morrigan, and Fenris. Not only that, but he also played a major role during the creation of Neverwinter Nights and Baldur’s Gate.

Dragon Age, however, was Gaider’s main focus, as he was a major factor in the plot and creation of the series. He also wrote various tie-in novels and comics for the franchise, such as Dragon Age: Asunder and Dragon Age: The Silent Grove. And in case you didn’t know, Gaider is responsible for Dorian from Dragon Age: Inquisition — arguably the best character in the game. 

We should hope that whoever replaces David Gaider will do just as good a job as he did for the past 17 years.