After a decade of anticipation, Dragon Age: The Veilguard arrived in late 2024. Sadly, it was a little underwhelming, the product of a troubled development cycle where EA attempted to make it live-service before it became purely single-player. In a post-mortem response to the publisher, Dragon Age icon David Gaider has responded to EA's position on live-service games and the impact said systems could have had on The Veilguard.
In a recent earnings call, EA mentioned that Dragon Age: The Veilguard didn't reach a "broad enough audience" and that players "increasingly seek shared-world features and deeper engagement."
David Gaider, the man responsible for the creation of Thedas and Dragon Age: Origins' iconic narrative, has reacted to EA's mindset on Bluesky. He breaks down how execs see current returns on big action games and live-service projects, and decide the development team should pivot to those, not because the audience want them, but because there's chance of huge profits if they land.
In The Veilguard's case, there was sincere pull towards making it a multiplayer game of sorts, before all of that was stripped away to be more reflective of the single-player experience that the series is known for. Gaider states that EA's conclusion that the lack of live-service was the main factor that contributed to The Veilguard struggling is "a bit short-sighted and self-serving," noting that "my advice to EA (not that they care): you have an IP that a lot of people love. Deeply. At its height, it sold well enough to make you happy, right? Look at what it did best at the point where it sold the most.
"Look at what [Dragon Age] did best at the point where it sold the most. Follow Larian's lead and double down on that. The audience is still there. And waiting."
He's obviously referencing Baldur's Gate 3, one of the RPG craftmanship and the increasing popularity of Dungeons and Dragons, the third Baldur's Gate delivered the kind of single-player narrative fans were looking for, and Larian was rewarded for it.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available now. If you're considering venturing into its depths, have a look at our guides to best Dragon Age The Veilguard builds.
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