EA Advised to Emulate Baldur’s Gate 3 Developer by Dragon Age Co-Creator

Former BioWare developers have shared their perspectives on Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the recent remarks by EA CEO Andrew Wilson regarding its performance. During a financial call, Wilson noted that Dragon Age: The Veilguard did not "resonate with a broad enough audience," indicating its failure to meet expectations. This led to a restructuring at BioWare, shifting their focus solely to Mass Effect 5. Some staff members who worked on The Veilguard were reassigned to other EA projects, while others faced layoffs.

EA reported that Dragon Age: The Veilguard engaged 1.5 million players in its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell short of the company's projections by nearly 50%. The game's development faced numerous challenges, including layoffs and the departure of several project leads, as documented by IGN. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier highlighted that despite EA's push towards a live-service model and subsequent reversal, it was remarkable that The Veilguard managed to release as a complete game.

Wilson emphasized the need for BioWare's RPGs to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to achieve broader success. He suggested that these elements could have helped Dragon Age: The Veilguard connect with a wider audience in the competitive gaming market. However, the game underwent a significant development reboot, transitioning from a multiplayer framework to a single-player RPG, as per IGN's reports.

Former BioWare staff, including David Gaider and Mike Laidlaw, have taken to social media to voice their opinions. Gaider, who crafted the Dragon Age setting and served as its narrative lead before leaving BioWare in 2016, argued that EA's takeaway from The Veilguard's performance—that it should have been a live-service game—seems short-sighted. He advised EA to follow the example of Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian, focusing on what made Dragon Age successful in the past and doubling down on those strengths.

Mike Laidlaw, now at Yellow Brick Games, expressed strong opposition to turning a beloved single-player game into a multiplayer one, stating he would quit if faced with such a demand. His comments underscored the tension between maintaining the core essence of a game and corporate pressures to adapt to market trends.

The restructuring at BioWare has shifted the studio's focus entirely to Mass Effect 5, led by series veterans. EA CFO Stuart Canfield justified the move by highlighting the evolving industry landscape and the need to allocate resources to high-potential opportunities. This decision has effectively put Dragon Age on hold, signaling a significant shift in BioWare's priorities.