EA CEO: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Failed to Engage Broad Audience, Gamers Crave Shared-World Features

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

The decision to shift focus was influenced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard's performance, which fell short of EA's expectations for the highly anticipated action RPG. EA reported that the game engaged 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, a figure that was nearly 50% below the company's projections.

IGN has detailed several challenges faced during the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including layoffs, the departure of multiple project leads, and other significant hurdles. According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, BioWare staff considered it a miracle that the game was released as a complete product, especially after EA initially pushed for a live-service model and later reversed course.

During an investor-focused financial call, Wilson suggested that future role-playing games should incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives." He elaborated, saying, "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 high-quality launch and received positive reviews from critics and players alike. However, he noted that the game did not appeal to a wide enough audience in the highly competitive market. This statement implies that the inclusion of shared-world features and deeper engagement might have boosted the game's sales. Yet, this perspective seems at odds with EA's decision to pivot Dragon Age from a multiplayer-focused game to a 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. With Dragon Age seemingly on hold for the foreseeable future, attention now turns to the future of Mass Effect 5.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the company's decision to refocus BioWare on Mass Effect 5, which involved reducing the studio's staff from 200 to less than 100 people. Canfield emphasized, "Historically, blockbuster storytelling has been the primary way our industry bought 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. The majority of the company's income (74% in the last 12 months) comes from live service games, with Ultimate Team being a major contributor. Other live service titles like Apex Legends and The Sims also play a significant role. Upcoming titles such as Skate and the next Battlefield are expected to follow the live service model as well.