Dragon Age Co-Creator Offers EA Some Advice: Follow Baldur’s Gate 3 Developer Larian’s Lead

Former BioWare developers have weighed in on the underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA CEO Andrew Wilson's comments regarding its failure to resonate with a broad audience. During an EA financial call, Wilson attributed the game's underperformance to its failure to connect with a wider player base. This followed a BioWare restructuring, focusing solely on Mass Effect 5, resulting in staff reassignments and layoffs. EA reported that Dragon Age: The Veilguard engaged 1.5 million players, significantly below projections.

IGN previously documented the game's troubled development, including layoffs and the departure of key personnel. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, BioWare staff considered the game's completion a miracle, given EA's initial push for live-service elements, later reversed. Wilson suggested that BioWare's RPGs need shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives to achieve broader success. He stated that while Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched with high quality and positive reviews, it failed to reach a sufficiently large audience in a competitive market.

Many interpreted Wilson's comments as suggesting that the inclusion of shared-world features and deeper engagement could have improved sales. However, as IGN reported, a development reboot shifted the game from a planned multiplayer experience to a single-player RPG.

Former BioWare employees have since shared their opinions on social media. David Gaider, former narrative lead on Dragon Age, criticized EA's takeaway from The Veilguard's performance, suggesting that focusing solely on the potential of live-service elements is short-sighted. He argued that attributing the game's failure to any single factor, such as "woke" content, oversimplifies the issue. Instead, he advised EA to learn from Larian Studios' success with Baldur's Gate 3, emphasizing the enduring appeal of the Dragon Age IP and suggesting a return to the core elements that previously drove sales.

Mike Laidlaw, former creative director on Dragon Age, expressed his strong opposition to fundamentally altering a successful single-player IP into a purely multiplayer experience, stating he would likely quit if faced with such a demand.

The events surrounding Dragon Age: The Veilguard suggest the franchise's future is uncertain, with BioWare now fully committed to Mass Effect 5, a project reportedly involving significant staff reductions. EA CFO Stuart Canfield acknowledged the evolving industry landscape and the financial implications of The Veilguard's performance, emphasizing the company's decision to reallocate resources to its most promising opportunities.