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

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has shed light on the financial underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, stating that the game failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement comes in the wake of EA's decision to restructure Dragon Age developer BioWare, shifting its focus exclusively to Mass Effect 5. As a result, some team members who worked on The Veilguard have been reassigned to other projects within EA's studios.

The move followed EA's revelation that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met the company's expectations for the eagerly anticipated action RPG. According to EA, the game "engaged" 1.5 million players in its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell short of projections by nearly 50%.

IGN has documented several development hurdles faced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including layoffs and the exit of multiple project leads at various stages. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier reported that BioWare staff considered it a miracle that the game was completed, especially after EA's initial push for a live-service model, which was later abandoned.

During a financial call aimed at investors, Wilson emphasized the need for EA's role-playing games to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives." He elaborated, "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."

Wilson acknowledged that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a commendable launch and received positive reviews from critics and players alike. However, he noted that the game did not capture a wide enough audience in the fiercely competitive gaming market.

Wilson's comments suggest that the inclusion of "shared-world features" and "deeper engagement" could have potentially boosted the game's sales. Yet, this stance seems at odds with EA's support for BioWare's significant overhaul of Dragon Age, which transformed it from a multiplayer game framework into a full-fledged single-player RPG, as reported by IGN.

Fans have expressed concerns that EA may be drawing the wrong conclusions from Dragon Age: The Veilguard's performance, especially given the recent success of single-player RPGs like Larian's Baldur's Gate 3. The future of Dragon Age appears uncertain, but attention now turns to Mass Effect 5.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the company's decision to refocus BioWare on the upcoming Mass Effect game, which has reportedly led to a reduction of the studio's workforce from 200 to less than 100 employees. Canfield remarked, "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 total revenue. The majority of the company's earnings (74% over the past year) come from live service games, with Ultimate Team being a major contributor. Other live service games like Apex Legends and The Sims also contribute to EA's financial success. The upcoming Skate and the next Battlefield are expected to follow the live service model as well.