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

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has commented on the financial failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, stating that the game failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience."

Last week, EA restructured Dragon Age developer BioWare to focus on Mass Effect 5 only, which led to some team members being reassigned to projects at other EA studios.

This decision came after EA announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met its financial expectations for the much-anticipated action RPG. EA reported that Dragon Age "engaged" 1.5 million players in its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell nearly 50% short of the company's projections.

IGN has chronicled several development challenges faced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including layoffs and the departure of several project leads at various stages.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, BioWare staff consider it a miracle that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released as a complete game, given "EA forced live-service into it, then reversed course."

During a recent investor-focused financial call, Wilson emphasized that EA's role-playing games need to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives."

"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 stated.

"Dragon Age had a high-quality launch and was well-reviewed by critics and those who played. However, it did not resonate with a broad enough audience in this highly competitive market."

Wilson's comments suggest that Dragon Age: The Veilguard might have performed better with "shared-world features" and "deeper engagement." Yet, this stance seems at odds with EA's earlier decision to support BioWare's major overhaul of Dragon Age. As IGN reported, the reboot transformed Dragon Age from a multiplayer game framework with repeatable quests and a basic story outline into a comprehensive single-player RPG.

Fans argue that EA may be drawing the wrong conclusions from Dragon Age: The Veilguard's performance, citing the recent success of single-player RPGs like Larian's Baldur's Gate 3. With Dragon Age seemingly on hold indefinitely, the focus now shifts to Mass Effect 5.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the restructuring of BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect 5, which reportedly involved downsizing the studio from 200 to fewer than 100 employees.

"Historically, blockbuster storytelling has been the primary way our industry bought beloved IP to players," Canfield remarked. "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 revenue. The majority, 74% in the last 12 months, comes from live service games, with Ultimate Team being a major contributor. Other live service games like Apex Legends and The Sims also play a significant role. The upcoming Skate and the next Battlefield are expected to follow this model as well.