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

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has addressed the underwhelming financial performance 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 to focus solely on Mass Effect 5, resulting in some team members being reassigned to other EA projects.

Last week, EA announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met its financial expectations. Despite engaging 1.5 million players in the recent financial quarter, this number fell nearly 50% short of EA's projections. IGN has detailed the game's development challenges, which included layoffs, the departure of several project leads, and significant shifts in the game's direction.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, BioWare staff considered it a miracle that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released as a complete game, given the tumultuous development process that saw EA initially push for a live-service model before reversing course.

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" to appeal to a wider audience. He acknowledged that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a high-quality launch and received positive reviews but did not capture a broad enough market in the highly competitive gaming industry.

Wilson's comments suggest that the inclusion of shared-world features and deeper engagement might have boosted the game's sales. However, this stance seems at odds with EA's earlier decision to pivot Dragon Age from a multiplayer game with repeatable quests to a single-player RPG, as reported by IGN.

Fans have expressed frustration, arguing that EA may have drawn the wrong conclusions from Dragon Age: The Veilguard's performance. They point to the success of recent single-player RPGs, such as Larian's Baldur's Gate 3, as evidence that there is still a strong market for such games. With Dragon Age seemingly on hold indefinitely, 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, a move that has involved reducing the studio's workforce from 200 to less than 100 employees. Canfield highlighted the evolving industry landscape and the importance of reallocating resources to maximize potential opportunities.

It's important to note that single-player games represent only a small fraction of EA's total revenue. The company's primary income source is live service games, which accounted for 74% of its earnings over the last 12 months. Titles like Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, and The Sims contribute significantly to this figure, while upcoming games like Skate and the next Battlefield are also expected to follow the live service model.