EA Advised to Emulate Baldur’s Gate 3 Developer by Dragon Age Co-Creator

Former BioWare developers have shared their insights on the recent performance of *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* and comments made by EA CEO Andrew Wilson regarding its relative failure. During a financial call, Wilson stated that *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* did not "resonate with a broad enough audience," leading to a significant restructuring at BioWare. The studio is now focusing solely on *Mass Effect 5*, with some staff reassigned to other EA projects and others laid off.

EA reported that *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* engaged 1.5 million players in its recent financial quarter, a figure nearly 50% below the company's expectations. The game's development faced numerous challenges, including layoffs, the departure of several project leads, and a shift from a planned live-service model to a single-player RPG, as detailed by IGN and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. Despite these efforts, Wilson emphasized that BioWare's role-playing games need "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to meet EA's success benchmarks.

Wilson's comments suggest that *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* might have performed better with shared-world elements and deeper engagement. However, the game's development saw a significant pivot from a multiplayer framework to a single-player experience, a move backed by EA.

In response, former BioWare staff have taken to social media to voice their opinions. David Gaider, the creator of the *Dragon Age* setting and former narrative lead, criticized EA's takeaway that the game should have been a live service. Gaider, now at Summerfall Studios, suggested that EA should focus on what *Dragon Age* did best at its peak, drawing inspiration from the success of *Baldur's Gate 3* by Larian Studios, which combines a strong single-player experience with optional multiplayer co-op.

Mike Laidlaw, former creative director on *Dragon Age* and now at Yellow Brick Games, expressed strong opposition to turning a beloved single-player IP into a purely multiplayer game, stating he would quit if faced with such a demand.

The restructuring at BioWare has led to a significant reduction in staff, with the studio now focusing entirely on *Mass Effect 5* under the leadership of series veterans. EA CFO Stuart Canfield highlighted the shift as a response to the evolving industry landscape, emphasizing the need to allocate resources to high-potential opportunities.