EA CEO Andrew Wilson attributes the underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to its lack of live-service features, despite the game's decade-long development and positive critical reception. This explanation has sparked concern among fans, particularly in light of the upcoming Mass Effect 5 development.
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson recently addressed the underperformance of Dragon Age : The Veilguard during an earnings call, revealing that it had attracted around 1.5 million players – roughly half of EA's initial projections. While the game's development was plagued by a decade-long struggle and followed a predecessor released before many potential players had fully developed frontal lobes, Wilson attributes its lackluster sales to a lack of live-service elements.
This explanation has sparked concern among BioWare fans, especially considering the upcoming development of Mass Effect 5. On the earnings call (thanks PC Gamer), Wilson's explanation for the game's underperformance lacked introspection regarding the impact of the lengthy and turbulent development on Dragon Age. It also seemed disconnected from the broader video game industry. 'In order to break 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.' Essentially, he believes Dragon Age would have performed better if it incorporated live-service mechanics, rather than focusing on the story-driven, single-player RPG experience for which BioWare is renowned.The Veilguard's 10-year development cycle was marked by multiple shifts in direction. At one point, it was envisioned as an online multiplayer game with repeatable levels and all the live-service tropes that gamers have largely rejected in BioWare titles. However, following the critical and commercial failure of Anthem, BioWare's foray into the looter shooter genre, the studio made a complete U-turn. Anthem served as a stark warning about the perils of shoehorning live-service features into studios not organically suited for them, ultimately leading to diminishing returns. Wilson's assertion that The Veilguard's problem was its failure to appeal to players seeking another ever-lasting game is perplexing. If live service were a guaranteed success factor, these games wouldn't be constantly failing. Baldur's Gate 3, a complex single-player RPG that builds upon BioWare's traditional strengths, has become one of the most successful games of the decade. Clearly, gamers aren't solely yearning for endless live-service experiences. Dragon Age: The Veilguard's shortcomings stemmed from its continuation of a 10-year-old cliffhanger that wasn't welcoming to newcomers, received positive but not universally rave reviews, and faced a marketing push that only lasted four months. It's remarkable that BioWare managed to salvage the project after a decade of publisher-driven changes, resulting in a significant restructuring of the studio and the departure of key personnel. This kind of shortsightedness from EA isn't new. The company infamously declared single-player games 'finished' before reversing course when one of its own studios achieved success with Respawn's Star Wars Jedi games, despite competitors consistently releasing critically and commercially successful single-player titles. It's unsurprising that Wilson attributes The Veilguard's underperformance to something only understandable within EA's own internal framework. Baldur's Gate 3 might as well not have existed in EA's eyes. This situation raises concerns about the future of Mass Effect 5. BioWare now faces a final opportunity to rectify its course, and since moderate successes are no longer sufficient, it must achieve something on the scale of the original sci-fi trilogy. Wilson's belief that the key to success lies in repeating past mistakes should alarm every Mass Effect fan. If BioWare is once again pressured to compromise its core identity, the series and the studio's legacy will continue to diminish until nothing remains
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