EA CEO Andrew Wilson has addressed the disappointing financial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, noting that the game did not "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement comes in the wake of EA's decision to restructure BioWare, the developer behind the game, to concentrate solely on Mass Effect 5. As a result, some team members who worked on The Veilguard have been reassigned to other projects within EA.
EA's financial reports indicate that Dragon Age: The Veilguard attracted 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell short of the company's expectations by nearly 50%. This underperformance led to significant changes within BioWare, including layoffs and the departure of several project leads throughout the development process.
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported that despite numerous challenges, including EA's fluctuating strategy between live-service and single-player focus, BioWare staff considered it a "miracle" that The Veilguard was released as a complete game.
In a recent investor-focused financial call, Wilson emphasized the need for role-playing games to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to appeal to a wider audience. He acknowledged that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a high-quality launch and received positive reviews but failed to capture a large enough market share in a highly competitive environment.
Wilson's comments suggest that the inclusion of shared-world features might have boosted the game's sales. However, this perspective seems at odds with EA's initial support for BioWare's decision to pivot Dragon Age from a multiplayer framework to a full-fledged single-player RPG.
Fans and industry observers have criticized EA for drawing the wrong conclusions from The Veilguard's performance, especially in light of the success of recent single-player RPGs like Larian's Baldur's Gate 3. With Dragon Age seemingly put on hold indefinitely, attention now turns to the future of Mass Effect 5.
EA CFO Stuart Canfield commented on the restructuring of BioWare to focus on Mass Effect 5, which has involved downsizing the studio from 200 to fewer than 100 employees. He highlighted the evolving industry landscape and the necessity of reallocating resources to maximize potential opportunities.
It's important to note that single-player games represent only a small fraction of EA's overall revenue, with live service games accounting for 74% of the company's earnings over the past year. EA's successful live service titles include Ultimate Team, Apex Legends, and The Sims. The upcoming Skate and the next Battlefield are also expected to follow the live service model, indicating EA's strategic direction moving forward.
