Former BioWare developers have shared their perspectives on *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* following recent comments from EA's CEO, Andrew Wilson, who stated that the game failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." This came after EA restructured BioWare to focus exclusively on *Mass Effect 5*, leading to layoffs and the reassignment of some *The Veilguard* team members to other projects within EA.

EA reported that *Dragon Age: The Veilguard* engaged 1.5 million players in its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell nearly 50% short of the company's expectations for the action RPG. IGN has documented the game's development challenges, including layoffs, the departure of several project leads, and a mid-development shift from a multiplayer-focused game to a single-player RPG, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.

Wilson suggested that BioWare's role-playing games need "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives" to meet EA's success benchmarks. He noted that while *The Veilguard* had a high-quality launch and received positive reviews, it did not attract a wide enough audience in a competitive market.

Many interpreted Wilson's comments as implying that *The Veilguard* might have performed better with more multiplayer elements. However, the game's development saw a significant shift from a planned live-service model back to a single-player focus after an EA-backed reboot.

On social media, former BioWare staff members have responded to these developments. David Gaider, who created the *Dragon Age* setting and served as its narrative lead before departing in 2016, criticized EA's takeaway from *The Veilguard*'s performance. He argued that suggesting the game should have been a live service is shortsighted and self-serving. Gaider, now at Summerfall Studios, recommended that EA should follow the example of *Baldur's Gate 3* developer Larian by focusing on what *Dragon Age* does best, emphasizing its strengths as a single-player RPG.

Mike Laidlaw, former creative director on *Dragon Age* and now at Yellow Brick Games, echoed Gaider's sentiments. He stated he would quit if forced to transform a beloved single-player game into a purely multiplayer experience, questioning the logic behind such a drastic change to the game's core identity.

The recent restructuring has shifted BioWare's focus entirely to *Mass Effect 5*, led by series veterans. EA CFO Stuart Canfield emphasized the importance of reallocating resources to high-potential opportunities, signaling a strategic shift in response to *The Veilguard*'s underperformance and the evolving industry landscape.