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Three months have now passed since BioWare finally saw the long-awaited release of its new RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard – and despite favorable reviews from critics, EA states that the game failed to reach a "broad enough audience."
Dragon Age: The Veilguard reportedly didn't meet its publisher's expectations, with sales previously said to be "down nearly 50%" from what EA had initially hoped for and subsequent layoffs reported across BioWare. Speaking in a recent earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirms as much, explaining that the overall sales EA's published games saw this past quarter didn't hit "the financial performance we wanted or expected." He goes on to name The Veilguard.
Describing the company's "blockbuster storytelling strategy," Wilson says that Dragon Age "had a high-quality launch and was well-reviewed by critics and those who played" – but this wasn't enough to keep the title afloat. "However," he admits, "it did not resonate with a broad enough audience in this highly competitive market." Later on during the financial call, chief financial officer Stuart Canfield agrees that The Veilguard "underperformed."
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"Historically," Canfield describes, "blockbuster storytelling has been the primary way our industry brought beloved IP to players." This approach didn't work for The Veilguard, with Canfield noting a changing market. "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."
A majority of the call is spent discussing EA Sports FC 25, but as a longtime fan of the Dragon Age series myself, EA's words on The Veilguard are difficult to process – as are the recent developer layoffs. Our own Dragon Age: The Veilguard review dubbed the game a "true return to RPG form for BioWare," with many others expressing a similar sentiment, and believing it was one of the best RPGs of 2024.
After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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