EA CEO: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Misses Broad Appeal, Gamers Crave Shared-World Features

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has addressed the disappointing financial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, stating that the game did not "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement comes after EA restructured BioWare, the developer behind Dragon Age, to exclusively focus on Mass Effect 5. As a result, some team members who worked on The Veilguard have been reassigned to other projects within EA studios.

The restructuring decision was influenced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underwhelming performance. EA disclosed that the game only managed to engage 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell nearly 50% short of the company's projections.

IGN has provided detailed coverage of the challenges faced during Dragon Age: The Veilguard's development, including significant layoffs and the departure of several project leads at various stages. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier reported that BioWare staff considered it a miracle that the game was released as a complete product, given EA's initial push for a live-service model, which was later abandoned.

During an investor-focused financial call, Wilson emphasized the need for role-playing games to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to appeal to a wider audience. He acknowledged that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a high-quality launch and received positive reviews from critics and players. However, it failed to capture a broad enough market in the highly competitive gaming industry.

Wilson's comments suggest that Dragon Age: The Veilguard might have achieved greater success with the inclusion of "shared-world features" and "deeper engagement." This perspective is intriguing, especially considering EA's decision to pivot Dragon Age from a multiplayer game to a single-player RPG, as reported by IGN. This shift moved the game away from repeatable quests and a tech-based framework to a more traditional single-player experience.

Fans have expressed concerns that EA may have drawn the wrong conclusions from Dragon Age: The Veilguard's performance, particularly in light of the success of other recent single-player RPGs like Larian's Baldur's Gate 3. With Dragon Age seemingly put on hold for the foreseeable future, attention now turns to Mass Effect 5.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the company's decision to refocus BioWare on Mass Effect 5, which involved reducing the studio's workforce from 200 to less than 100 employees. Canfield highlighted the evolving nature of the gaming industry and the necessity to redirect resources towards high-potential projects.

It's important to note that single-player games represent a small fraction of EA's overall revenue, with live service games accounting for 74% of the company's earnings over the past year. Titles like Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, and The Sims are significant contributors to this revenue stream. Upcoming titles such as Skate and the next Battlefield are also expected to follow the live service model.