EA CEO Andrew Wilson has expressed disappointment over the financial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, stating that it did not "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement follows EA's recent restructuring of Dragon Age developer BioWare, which is now focusing solely on Mass Effect 5. As a result, some team members who worked on The Veilguard have been reassigned to other EA projects.
EA disclosed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard attracted 1.5 million players during the latest financial quarter, a number that fell short of the company's expectations by nearly 50%. The game's development was fraught with challenges, including layoffs, the departure of several project leads, and significant shifts in direction, as reported by IGN. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier noted that BioWare staff considered it a miracle that the game was released at all, given EA's initial push for a live-service model that was later abandoned.
During a financial call with investors, Wilson emphasized the need for role-playing games to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement" alongside high-quality narratives to appeal to a broader audience. He acknowledged that while Dragon Age: The Veilguard received positive reviews from critics and players, it did not achieve the desired market penetration in the highly competitive gaming industry.
Wilson's comments suggest that Dragon Age might have seen better sales with shared-world elements and increased player engagement. However, this stance seems at odds with EA's earlier decision to pivot Dragon Age from a multiplayer framework to a single-player RPG, as detailed by IGN.
Fans have criticized EA's response, arguing that the company has drawn the wrong conclusions from The Veilguard's performance. They point to the success of other recent single-player RPGs, such as Larian's Baldur's Gate 3, as evidence that there is still a strong demand for this type of game. With Dragon Age seemingly on indefinite hiatus, attention now turns to the future of Mass Effect 5.
EA CFO Stuart Canfield addressed the company's decision to refocus BioWare on Mass Effect 5, a move that has seen the studio's workforce reduced from 200 to less than 100 employees. Canfield highlighted the evolving nature of the gaming industry, where blockbuster storytelling is increasingly complemented by other revenue-generating models. He stressed the importance of reallocating resources to maximize potential opportunities.
It's important to note that single-player games constitute only a small fraction of EA's revenue, with the majority (74% over the past year) coming from live service models. Games like Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, The Sims, and the upcoming Skate, along with the next Battlefield, are central to EA's live service strategy.
