EA CEO Andrew Wilson has addressed the underwhelming financial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, stating that the game failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." This statement comes after EA announced a significant restructuring at BioWare, the developer behind the game, shifting their focus exclusively to Mass Effect 5. This restructuring has resulted in some team members who worked on The Veilguard being reassigned to other projects within EA studios.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard managed to engage 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, which fell short of EA's projections by nearly 50%. The game's development was fraught with challenges, as detailed by IGN, including layoffs and the departure of several project leads at various stages. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier noted that BioWare staff viewed the game's completion as a "miracle," given EA's initial push for a live-service model and subsequent reversal.

During a financial call focused on investors, Wilson emphasized the need for role-playing games to incorporate "shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives." He suggested that these elements could help games reach a wider audience, hinting that Dragon Age: The Veilguard might have fared better with such features. This perspective seems at odds with EA's earlier decision to pivot Dragon Age from a multiplayer game to a single-player RPG, a move that IGN covered extensively.

Fans have expressed frustration, arguing that EA has drawn the wrong conclusions from The Veilguard's performance. They point to the success of other recent single-player RPGs like Larian's Baldur's Gate 3 as evidence that there is still a strong market for such games. With Dragon Age seemingly on hold indefinitely, attention now turns to Mass Effect 5.

EA CFO Stuart Canfield discussed the company's decision to refocus BioWare on Mass Effect 5, which involved downsizing the studio from 200 to less than 100 employees. He highlighted the evolving landscape of the gaming industry, where "blockbuster storytelling" has traditionally brought beloved IPs to players. However, he also acknowledged the financial performance of The Veilguard as a reminder of the need to allocate resources towards high-potential opportunities.

It's important to note that single-player games constitute a small fraction of EA's overall revenue. The majority (74% over the last 12 months) comes from live-service games, driven largely by Ultimate Team, with contributions from titles like Apex Legends and The Sims. Upcoming projects such as Skate and the next Battlefield are also slated to follow the live-service model, indicating EA's continued commitment to this lucrative sector.