Ex-Dragon Age Writer Shares Thoughts on Veilguard Live-Service Proposal

Overview of Recent Controversies Surrounding Dragon Age: The Veilguard

• The creative director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard criticizes EA’s implication that the game would have performed better as a live-service title.
• The game fell short of EA’s sales targets, moving only 1.5 million copies since its release.
• Concerns are growing among fans that the upcoming Mass Effect 5 will adopt a live-service model.

The former creative director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard publicly challenged EA’s recent claims suggesting that the game’s potential success hinged on incorporating live-service features. Initially, the game was designed with live services and multiplayer functions in mind, but it transitioned into a single-player format throughout its protracted development phase.

Upon its launch in October 2024, fans expressed excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. However, the title did not meet EA’s sales forecasts and sold just 1.5 million copies. Despite receiving favorable reviews in initial stages, the game faced backlash due to accusations of promoting a “woke”agenda, coupled with critiques on its writing quality. In contrast to the critically acclaimed Dragon Age: Inquisition, which garnered numerous Game of the Year accolades in 2014, many players voiced their dissatisfaction with The Veilguard, expecting superior quality based on previous entries. In light of this criticism, the former director responded to EA’s perceived insensitivity regarding the game’s shortcomings.

Former Dragon Age Developers Respond to EA’s Recent Comments

In response to EA’s remarks, David Gaider, who served as the lead writer for the first three Dragon Age installments, expressed his thoughts on social media. Gaider remarked on the disconnect often present among executives who might lack a deep understanding of the gaming industry. He stated, “Let’s say you don’t actually know much about games. You’re in a big office with a bunch of other execs who also don’t know much about games. What are they all saying? ‘Live games do big numbers!’ ‘Action games are hot!’ 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.” Gaider also pointed out the remarkable success of Baldur’s Gate 3 as a single-player title, emphasizing that fans remain loyal and eager for quality experiences.

Look, I'm not a fancy CEO guy, but if someone said to me 'the key to this successful single-player IP's success is to make it purely a multiplayer game. No, not a spin-off: fundamentally change the DNA of what people loved about the core game' to me, I'd probably, like, quit that job or something.

In January 2025, following the underwhelming performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it was revealed that some developers had been laid off, and the game’s director, Corinne Busche, also departed from the company. This restructuring has led to significant uncertainty regarding the future direction of the franchise. More critically, fans are concerned about the upcoming Mass Effect 5, currently in pre-production. With EA’s errant belief that The Veilguard would have thrived as a live-service game, there are fears that Mass Effect 5 might deviate from its successful single-player roots.

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