EA CEO Andrew Wilson has recently addressed the financial underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, stating that the game failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement comes in the wake of EA's decision to restructure Dragon Age developer BioWare, shifting its focus exclusively to Mass Effect 5. As a result, some team members who worked on The Veilguard have been reassigned to other projects within EA studios.
The restructuring follows EA's announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of the company's expectations for the highly anticipated action RPG. EA reported that the game "engaged" 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, a figure that was nearly 50% below their projections.
IGN has documented 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 the game was released as a complete product, especially after EA initially pushed for a live-service model before reversing course.
During an investor-focused financial call, Wilson emphasized the need for role-playing games to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives." He stated, "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 acknowledged that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a high-quality launch and received positive reviews from critics and players. However, he noted that it did not capture a wide enough audience in the highly competitive market. This suggests that the inclusion of shared-world features and deeper engagement might have boosted the game's sales. Yet, this stance seems contradictory given EA's support for BioWare's major reset of Dragon Age, which transformed it from a multiplayer game with repeatable quests into a full-blown single-player RPG.
Fans have expressed concerns that EA may be drawing the wrong conclusions from Dragon Age: The Veilguard's performance, especially when considering the recent success of single-player RPGs like Larian's Baldur's Gate 3. With Dragon Age seemingly on hold for the foreseeable future, attention now turns to the implications for Mass Effect 5.
EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the company's decision to refocus BioWare on the next Mass Effect, which has reportedly led to a significant reduction in the studio's size, from 200 to less than 100 employees. Canfield highlighted the evolving industry landscape, stating, "Historically, blockbuster storytelling has been the primary way our industry bought beloved IP to players. 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 overall revenue. The majority of the company's income (74% in the last 12 months) comes from live service models, 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 the live service model as well.
