EA CEO Says Dragon Age: The Veilguard Failed to 'Resonate With a Broad Audience,' Gamers Increasingly Want 'Shared-World Features'

EA CEO Andrew Wilson attributes the commercial failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to its inability to connect with a sufficiently broad audience. Last week's restructuring of BioWare, the game's developer, to focus solely on Mass Effect 5, saw personnel transfers to other EA studios.

This followed EA's announcement of The Veilguard's underperformance, revealing only 1.5 million players engaged during the recent financial quarter – a near 50% shortfall from projections. IGN previously documented The Veilguard's development hurdles, including layoffs and the departure of key personnel. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, BioWare staff considered the game's completion a remarkable feat given EA's initial push for live-service elements, later reversed.

Wilson, in an investor call, suggested that future role-playing games require "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to expand beyond a niche audience. He acknowledged the game's high-quality launch and positive reviews but emphasized its limited market reach.

This statement, however, appears contradictory given EA's prior support for BioWare's Dragon Age reboot, transforming it from a planned multiplayer game into a single-player RPG. Fans criticize EA for drawing the wrong conclusions, citing the success of recent single-player RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3. The future of Dragon Age remains uncertain.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield linked BioWare's restructuring, reducing its size significantly, to the need to prioritize high-potential projects. He highlighted the shift in the industry landscape and the importance of resource reallocation. It's crucial to note that single-player games contribute minimally to EA's overall revenue, which is heavily reliant (74% in the past year) on live-service titles, including Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, The Sims, and future projects like Skate and the next Battlefield.