EA CEO Says Dragon Age: The Veilguard Failed to 'Resonate With a Broad Audience,' Gamers Increasingly Want 'Shared-World Features'

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has recently addressed the underwhelming financial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, stating that the game failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement came in the wake of EA's decision to restructure the game's developer, BioWare, to focus solely on Mass Effect 5. As a result, some team members who were part of The Veilguard's development have been reassigned to other projects within EA studios.

The restructuring decision followed EA's announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had significantly underperformed compared to their expectations. The game managed to engage 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter, which fell nearly 50% short of the company's projections. This disappointing outcome was further compounded by the challenges faced during the game's development, as chronicled by IGN. These included layoffs, the departure of several project leads, and a tumultuous development cycle. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier noted that BioWare staff considered it a miracle that the game was released as a complete product, given EA's initial push towards a live-service model and subsequent reversal.

During an investor-focused financial call, Wilson elaborated on the lessons learned from The Veilguard's performance. He 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. Wilson suggested that had The Veilguard included these elements, it might have achieved greater success. However, this perspective seems at odds with EA's decision to pivot Dragon Age from a multiplayer game with live-service elements to a single-player RPG, as reported by IGN.

The gaming community has been vocal about their concerns, with many fans arguing that EA has drawn the wrong conclusions from The Veilguard's performance. They point to the recent success of single-player RPGs like Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 as evidence that there is still a strong demand for such titles. The future of the Dragon Age series appears uncertain, at least for now, leaving fans to wonder about the implications for Mass Effect 5.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the company's decision to refocus BioWare's efforts on Mass Effect 5, which has involved downsizing the studio from 200 to less than 100 employees. He highlighted the evolving nature of the gaming industry and the importance of reallocating resources to capitalize on the most significant opportunities. It's notable that single-player games constitute only a small fraction of EA's revenue, with the majority (74% in the last 12 months) coming from live service models, primarily driven by Ultimate Team. Other live service contributions come from titles like Apex Legends and The Sims. The upcoming Skate and the next Battlefield are also set to follow this model.