EA CEO Andrew Wilson has reflected on the financial shortcomings of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, noting that the game did not "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement came after EA restructured Dragon Age developer BioWare to exclusively focus on Mass Effect 5, resulting in some staff being reassigned to other EA projects.
The decision to restructure followed the announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had significantly underperformed, with only 1.5 million players engaging with the game in the recent financial quarter—a number that fell short of EA's projections by nearly 50%.
IGN has detailed some of the development challenges faced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which included layoffs and the departure of several project leads at various stages. According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, 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." He stated, “In order to break out 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.” He acknowledged that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a high-quality launch and was well-received by critics and players but failed to capture a wide enough audience in the competitive market.
Wilson's comments suggest that incorporating shared-world features and deeper engagement might have boosted the game's sales. However, this perspective seems at odds with EA's decision to revert Dragon Age from a multiplayer framework to a single-player RPG, as reported by IGN.
Fans have criticized EA for drawing the wrong conclusions from Dragon Age: The Veilguard's performance, especially given the success of recent single-player RPGs like Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3. The future of the Dragon Age series appears uncertain, while attention shifts to Mass Effect 5.
EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the company's decision to refocus BioWare's efforts on Mass Effect 5, which involved reducing the studio's workforce from 200 to under 100. He highlighted the evolving industry landscape and the necessity of reallocating resources to maximize potential opportunities, stating, "Historically, blockbuster storytelling has been the primary way our industry brought beloved IP to players. The game's financial performance highlights the evolving industry landscape and reinforces the importance of our actions to reallocate resources towards our most significant and highest potential opportunities."
It's important to note that single-player games constitute only a small fraction of EA's overall revenue, with live service models generating 74% of the company’s income over the last 12 months. Titles like Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, The Sims, and the upcoming Skate and Battlefield are central to this live service strategy.
