A recent report has brought to light the troubled development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, casting a shadow over the future of BioWare as a studio.
In January, publisher EA disclosed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had "underperformed" compared to expectations by approximately 50%, a revelation that came just days after game director Corrine Busche announced her departure from the company. Around the same time, additional BioWare staff involved in the project were let go. Notably, BioWare also indicated that the final update for The Veilguard had been released, with no further content planned—marking a quiet end to what was once a highly anticipated title.
IGN has previously covered the game’s rocky evolution, including its transformation from a single-player RPG into a live-service multiplayer experience and then back again. Now, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has provided deeper insight into the internal challenges at BioWare during The Veilguard’s development, shedding light on why the game ultimately fell short for many fans—particularly in lacking the deep player choice and meaningful consequences that have long defined BioWare’s most beloved titles.
One major issue stemmed from the repeated shifts in the game’s design direction. The back-and-forth between multiplayer and single-player formats left lasting scars on the final product, affecting its tone, dialogue, and narrative depth. According to Schreier, BioWare became concerned about the reception of games like Square Enix’s Forspoken, fearing that The Veilguard’s initially snarky, irreverent tone might lead to a similar backlash. In response, a last-minute directive was issued to rework much of the dialogue to sound more serious—a “belated rewrite” that led to noticeable tonal inconsistencies across the game.
Marketing also became a point of internal tension. Early promotional material, including a trailer that leaned heavily into flashy, action-oriented visuals, gave the impression that Dragon Age was veering toward a Fortnite-like aesthetic rather than staying true to its dark fantasy roots. This sparked concern among developers that EA didn’t fully understand how to position the franchise, further undermining confidence in the game’s direction.
EA has declined to comment on Bloomberg’s report.
The aftermath of The Veilguard’s underperformance has left BioWare at a crossroads. A small team is reportedly still working on Mass Effect 5, but momentum is fragile. With The Veilguard joining Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem as consecutive commercial and critical disappointments, the studio has now endured three high-profile failures in a row. Given this track record, questions are mounting about BioWare’s long-term viability.
As TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz noted in the Bloomberg piece, while EA needs more than just sports titles to thrive, “if they shuttered the doors [of BioWare] tomorrow I wouldn’t be totally surprised. It has been over a decade since they produced a hit.”
For the full details, check out Bloomberg’s comprehensive report.
