Former Mass Effect and Dragon Age devs up in arms over EA tweet mocking single-player games

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EA's tweet didn't go down very well

Garrus
(Image credit: EA)

Former Mass Effect and Dragon Age developers are up in arms over a tweet by EA which mocks single-player games. 

Yesterday EA took to Twitter to poke fun at those who only indulge in games that offer a solo experience. Seemingly inspired by the popular TikTok meme, it wrote, “They’re a 10 but they only like playing single-player games.”

Far from the laughs the publisher was likely expecting, the tweet was met with a largely negative response from both players and individuals within the industry. Among those who didn’t appreciate EA’s misguided attempt at humour were several former BioWare developers. “As usual, EA jumps on a trend, misses the point, punches itself in the face,” said Dragon Age narrative lead David Gaider. Mike Laidlaw, who worked as a Mass Effect writer and a lead designer on Dragon AgeOrigins described the publisher as “absolutely tone-deaf”, while BioWare studio manager Aaryn Flynn was keen to remind the company that it, in fact, makes single-player games. 

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These were far from the only people to call EA out. Zach Mumbach, who worked as a producer on Dead Space 2 and 3, had some harsh words for the publisher who closed Visceral in 2017, replying, “This is the company that shut down my studio and laid off 100 great developers because we were making a single player game.” God of War director Corey Barlog also posted his support for single-player games, and Respawn’s Vince Zampella - head of a studio working on single-player title Star Wars Survivor - was clearly lost for words, simply responding with a face palm emoji.

Hours after the original tweet, EA appeared to see the error of its ways, tweeting that the roast it had gotten was “well deserved” and that playing single-player games “actually makes them an 11”. EA’s upcoming single-player offerings include the Dead Space remake, which launches in January, and the aforementioned Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Take a look at our guide to the new games of 2022 and beyond to add to your wishlist now.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.