EA CEO Andrew Wilson attributed the financial underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to its failure to resonate with a broad enough audience. Following the game's disappointing sales, which fell nearly 50% short of projections, EA restructured BioWare, the developer, to focus solely on Mass Effect 5. This restructuring resulted in some Veilguard team members transitioning to other EA projects.
IGN previously documented various development challenges faced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including layoffs and the departure of key personnel. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, BioWare staff considered the game's completion a miracle, given EA's initial push for live-service elements, later reversed.
In a recent investor call, Wilson suggested that future role-playing games require "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to expand beyond their core audience. He acknowledged the game's positive critical reception and initial player engagement (1.5 million players), but emphasized its lack of broader appeal in a competitive market.
This statement implies that the inclusion of shared-world features and increased engagement could have improved sales. However, this perspective contrasts with EA's earlier decision to significantly restructure the Dragon Age development, shifting it from a planned multiplayer game to a single-player RPG. This decision, coupled with the recent success of single-player RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3, has led to criticism of EA's post-mortem analysis. The future of the Dragon Age franchise remains uncertain.
EA CFO Stuart Canfield further elaborated on the BioWare restructuring, noting the reduction in studio size from approximately 200 to fewer than 100 employees. He highlighted the shift in the industry landscape and the strategic reallocation of resources to maximize potential returns.
It's important to note that single-player games represent a small fraction of EA's overall revenue. The majority (74% in the past year) stems from live-service titles, with significant contributions from Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, The Sims, and future titles like Skate and the next Battlefield installment.
