EA Advised to Emulate Larian's Success with Baldur’s Gate 3

Former BioWare developers have shared their insights on the recent performance and future of *Dragon Age: The Veilguard*, following comments from EA's CEO Andrew Wilson about the game's lack of broad appeal. During a financial call, Wilson noted that *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* did not "resonate with a broad enough audience," despite engaging 1.5 million players in its recent financial quarter, which fell short of EA's expectations by nearly 50%.

In response to the game's underperformance, EA restructured BioWare to concentrate solely on *Mass Effect 5*. This shift resulted in some *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* team members being reassigned to other EA projects, while others faced layoffs. The decision came after a tumultuous development period for *The Veilguard*, marked by significant challenges including multiple layoffs, the exit of key project leads, and a forced pivot from a live-service model back to a single-player RPG, as reported by IGN and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.

Wilson suggested that for BioWare's RPGs to succeed in today's market, they need to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement" alongside strong narratives. He emphasized the need for games to meet the evolving demands of players in a highly competitive market. However, the game's shift from a multiplayer to a single-player focus, supported by EA, seemed to contradict this advice.

David Gaider, a former narrative lead at BioWare who created the *Dragon Age* setting, expressed his concerns on social media. He criticized EA's takeaway that the game might have performed better as a live-service title, calling it short-sighted. Gaider suggested that EA should instead focus on what made *Dragon Age* successful at its peak, advocating for a strategy similar to that of *Baldur's Gate 3* developer Larian, which doubled down on its single-player RPG strengths.

Echoing Gaider's sentiments, Mike Laidlaw, former creative director on *Dragon Age* and now at Yellow Brick Games, stated he would resign if pressured to transform a beloved single-player franchise into a multiplayer game. He questioned the wisdom of fundamentally altering a successful IP's core appeal.

The restructuring at BioWare has led to a significant downsizing, with the studio reportedly reduced from 200 to less than 100 employees. EA CFO Stuart Canfield highlighted the shift as a move to focus on high-potential projects like *Mass Effect 5*, led by series veterans. This decision underscores the evolving landscape of the gaming industry and EA's strategy to reallocate resources to maximize opportunities.