Dragon Age: The Veilguard Star Devastated by Backlash, Claims BioWare's Critics Wanted Failure

Alix Wilton Regan, known for her role as the Female Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, has shared her thoughts on the backlash the latter title received upon release. She attributed the “mixed reactions” to what she believes is a segment of players who were predisposed to dislike the game or even see BioWare fail.

In an interview with IGN, Wilton Regan expressed her disappointment over the game's reception and its failure to attract a broader audience, especially given that it received generally positive reviews from critics. During the same interview, where she reflected on her many memorable video game roles—including her upcoming part in Microsoft’s Perfect Dark reboot—she also made it clear that she doesn’t expect the Inquisitor character to return in future titles.

“I feel absolutely devastated for BioWare as a studio that they got such mixed reactions to the game,” Wilton Regan said regarding the response to The Veilguard. “I personally thought it was a really strong game. I thought it was just BioWare being more BioWare.”

She went on to suggest that some of the criticism may have stemmed from preconceived notions rather than actual gameplay experience. “I also think a lot of people kind of wanted to see it fail, or wanted to see [BioWare] fail, either because they're just really bad people on the internet — of which there are unfortunately many, as we have discovered.”

At launch, Dragon Age: The Veilguard faced intense scrutiny and review bombing online. Much of the backlash appeared to center around the game’s inclusive design choices, including the presence of a non-binary companion and the option for players to choose a transgender protagonist. On Steam, the game now carries a "Mixed" user review status, with tags like "LGBTQ+" and "politics" frequently associated with it.

Wilton Regan criticized those who condemned the game before experiencing it firsthand. “People were attacking the game before it was released,” she continued. “It's ridiculous. How can you judge a game, a book, a film, a TV show before it's actually released? You can't. It's an idiotic stance to take.”

In January, EA admitted that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had underperformed compared to expectations by about 50%. This came shortly after the game’s director, Corrine Busche, announced her departure from the company, along with layoffs affecting other team members who worked on the project. Around the same time, BioWare confirmed that it had released the final update for the game, with no further content currently planned.

Despite this, Wilton Regan remains supportive of the studio and its creative talent. “I only ever want to see the folks from BioWare thrive, because I adore them,” she concluded. “And whatever they go on to do next I have no doubt their talents will be richly rewarded. We're really lucky we'll get more gold from them in the future.”

Currently, a smaller BioWare team is developing Mass Effect 5, though no official release date has been announced.