Former BioWare developers have criticized EA's assessment of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance and subsequent restructuring of BioWare. EA CEO Andrew Wilson attributed the game's failure to a lack of broad appeal, suggesting the need for "shared-world features and deeper engagement" alongside strong narratives to reach a wider audience. This statement implied that incorporating multiplayer elements would have boosted sales.
However, this interpretation is contested by former BioWare staff. The game's development underwent a significant shift from a planned multiplayer experience to a single-player RPG, a change reportedly driven by EA. David Gaider, former narrative lead on Dragon Age, argued that EA's conclusion is short-sighted and self-serving, suggesting that focusing on live-service elements wasn't the core issue. He pointed to the success of Baldur's Gate 3, a predominantly single-player game with optional multiplayer, as evidence that the single-player RPG market remains strong and that EA should instead leverage Dragon Age's established strengths.
Mike Laidlaw, former creative director on Dragon Age, expressed even stronger dissent, stating he would resign if pressured to fundamentally alter a successful single-player IP into a purely multiplayer game. He highlighted the potential damage of such a drastic change to the core elements that fans value.
The outcome of these events is the apparent shelving of the Dragon Age franchise, with BioWare now concentrating solely on Mass Effect 5. EA's CFO, Stuart Canfield, confirmed the restructuring, which involved significant layoffs, emphasizing the need to allocate resources to projects with the highest potential for success in the evolving gaming market. This decision underscores the shift in EA's strategy and the perceived diminished value of single-player narrative-driven games within their current portfolio.
