Mark Darrah, a veteran producer at BioWare, believes that Mass Effect holds greater value for potential buyers than Dragon Age when excluding the original development team. This conclusion is his personal assessment based on brand recognition, world-building, and audience conversion potential; it is not an official valuation, nor does it indicate that any acquisition plans are currently in place.
In an interview with Eldorado.gg, Darrah stated that Mass Effect offers a sci-fi world that is difficult to replace. Dragon Age also has extensive lore, but its fantasy framework shares many similarities with titles like The Lord of the Rings games, Baldur's Gate, and The Witcher, making other studios more inclined to develop their own inspired works rather than acquire the IP.
Using Larian Studios as an example, he raised a business question: Would buying the Dragon Age IP and creating a new entry sell enough additional copies compared to simply developing a spiritual successor, thereby justifying the cost of acquiring the IP?
Darrah acknowledged that Dragon Age has fans, history, and an existing audience, but he believes these players won't unconditionally follow a new team lacking a track record with the series. The situation might be different if the project were led by individuals closely tied to the franchise, such as former lead writer David Gaider. In his view, the value of an IP stems not only from its name and world-building but also from the original talent involved and the actual sales boost it can deliver.