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

EA CEO Andrew Wilson attributed the financial underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to its failure to resonate with a broad audience. Last week's restructuring of BioWare, focusing solely on Mass Effect 5, saw some Veilguard developers reassigned to other EA studios. This followed EA's announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard, despite engaging 1.5 million players—significantly below projections—had underperformed. IGN previously documented The Veilguard's development challenges, 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.

During an investor call, Wilson suggested that future role-playing games require "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to expand beyond the core audience. He acknowledged the game's high-quality launch and positive reviews but emphasized its limited audience appeal in a competitive market. This suggests Wilson believes incorporating shared-world elements and increased engagement could have boosted sales, a perspective difficult to reconcile with EA's prior directive to BioWare to shift The Veilguard from a multiplayer game to a single-player RPG. Fans argue EA has drawn the wrong conclusions, citing the success of recent single-player RPGs like Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3. The future of the Dragon Age franchise remains uncertain.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield further explained the BioWare restructuring, focusing on Mass Effect 5, which reportedly involved significant staff reductions. He highlighted the shift in the industry landscape, emphasizing the importance of resource allocation towards high-potential opportunities. It's notable that single-player games contribute minimally to EA's overall revenue, which heavily relies on live-service titles (74% in the past year), including Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, The Sims, the upcoming Skate, and the anticipated next Battlefield installment.