Electronic Arts (EA) and its executive are confident that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is ushering in the revival of BioWare, especially after the studio’s big failure in the years prior. The twist is that Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t even out yet and won’t be for several hours more. Regardless, EA has held its more recent quarterly investors call and they had a lot of positive things to say about the Dragon Age sequel.
The word came from the EA CEO Andrew Wilson. Wilson addressed the mostly positive critical reception for Dragon Age: The Veilguard ahead of the sequel’s release, stating that it’s a strong indication that BioWare found its footing once again after its blunder with Anthem. Here’s what he had to say.
“What’s happened subsequently since Anthem is the BioWare team has really rallied around what made BioWare a fan favorite studio and a fan favorite brand, and the types of games they make: incredibly rich worlds, incredibly nuanced characters, really powerful and compelling stories with camaraderie and friendship and relationships and decisions that matter in the context of gameplay.
I think it’s really been that return to what made BioWare great, and giving the studio time to really deliver against what makes BioWare great in the context of the Dragon Age world, is what amounts to a game like Dragon Age: The Veilguard.”
Anthem was poised to compete in the relatively fresh and ripe looter shooter genre back in 2019, but it was poorly received. Criticisms often cite the lack of a coherent game vision and core gameplay issues. And although BioWare and EA tried to turn its reputation around, Anthem never really dug itself out of its own grave.
Hence, Dragon Age: The Veilguard provided a return to form for BioWare, according to EA’s CEO. Still, the game isn’t exactly out yet, and historically with AAA titles, the player reception can vastly differ from the critical reception.
While The Veilguard is a noteworthy sequel, some reviews have also cited its departure from the usual Dragon Age theme and writing. The characterization and storytelling, for example, have taken a new direction, according to some of the biggest reviews for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
EA remains hopeful, however, that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the revival that BioWare needs. Even upcoming titles like Mass Effect 5 could hinge on Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s presumed success.
