Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been officially deemed a commercial disappointment by publisher Electronic Arts. However, its verdict on why it failed to attract a sufficiently sizeable audience may leave some fans even more frustrated.
The action RPG had a notoriously long and turbulent development cycle, and up until its last reboot, was being developed as a live service title. According to EA, however, the lack of ongoing multiplayer elements might be partly responsible for its failure to sell well (or well enough).
“To break beyond the core audience, games need to directly connect to the evolving demands of players who increasingly seek shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives in this beloved category,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said during the company’s recent quarterly earnings call (via PC Gamer). “Dragon Age had a high-quality launch and was well-reviewed by critics and those who played; however, it did not resonate with a broad enough audience in this highly competitive market.”
In June 2023, BioWare announced that it would be refocusing on crafting “immersive, emotionally charged, single player games”. The move also saw the studio handing off all future development on MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic to Broadsword Online.
The next Mass Effect, which is currently in pre-production, is being developed as a single-player title (for now, at least). Whether EA will change direction following Dragon Age’s commercial failure remains to be seen.
In the aftermath of Dragon Age’s underperformance, EA has downsized BioWare, shifting several of its staff to other studios and laying off several others. Currently, its numbers stand at less than 100 employees.
