Between Baldur's Gate 2, Never winter nightsand Dragon Ageauthor David Gaider has had quite a career indeed; however, his next project at Summerfall Studios could be an opportunity for the studio if it can't secure funding. Dragon Age itself has been put on the back burner by EA after the overwhelming release of The craftsman 2024, which was the first game in the series to be written without Gaider.
Summerfall Studios was founded by David Gaider and Liam Esler in 2017 and has already released a couple of smaller projects. Gaider's first game after his exit after releasing the now defunct Anthem where Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical 2023, published by Balor Games, followed by Malysa roguelike deck builder in 2025, which Summerfall Studios chose to release on its own. Both games were moderate successes for indie games of this scale, but now it seems Gaider is looking for something bigger with his next project.
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In a recent interview with PC Gamer, David Gaider went into detail about what fans can expect from Summerfall Studios' upcoming RPG, saying that “you play a crew of bad guys in an airship going around doing heists” and describing it as “not full-on comedy, but something that can make me smile.” Later, however, Gadier clearly states that it has been tough for the studio to find a publisher to finance the game. As of now, Summerfall has completed a few prototypes for the RPG, but all publishers who have shown interest in the project want the game to be at least 80% complete before they decide to fund it, making it a tough balance between what the studio can and can't do without proper funding. Gaiden describes the studio's pursuit of funding as a “make or break” situation, hinting at the studio possibly closing if a publisher isn't secured.
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Start
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Light (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Throughout the interview, Gadier notes that much of what's happening with Summerfall is the result of the industry shrinking significantly over the past three years. Because game development is such a risky venture, publishers these days don't want to back a video game until they know it's a safe bet and the game will be completed and released. And it's not just small studios like Gaider's Summerfall Studios that have been affected; Life is stranges development studio has warned that its funding will run out in November 2026 and is looking for help.
If Summerfall fails to secure funding and has to close, Gaider is unsure what direction he will take, given the state of the industry. The author is still unsure if he will even find a place at another studio, given how saturated and competitive the market is, after thousands of layoffs at major publishers like Xbox and Sony every year. Hopefully Gaider can find a new home if his heist RPG goes awry, and it seems like he might be open to returning to AAA game development if that happens.
On the question of coming back to Dragon AgeGaider's response shifted from a hard no to a willingness to accept the challenge, even with plans for what to do with it. Although it may be the end of Dragon Age for now, as BioWare transitions to Mass effect after his own firings, Gaider says that if he were given the franchise again, he would want to take it back to basics, go somewhere “dark and dangerous” with it and “do things that will upset people.” Should Summerfall's heist RPG secure funding, fans could soon see what Gaider's non-comedy RPG is all about, but perhaps in the future he could be at the helm of the cult classic Dragon Age re.
