BioWare has finally released Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a game that went through a wild rollercoaster of development changes over the years.
Initially, The Veilguard was all set to be a single-player experience, but then the team switched gears to make it a multiplayer game with live-service elements. This big change didn’t sit well with Gary McKay, BioWare’s GM, who wondered if they were playing to their strengths or just adding more problems. He said, “We were thinking, ‘Does [multiplayer/live-service] make sense, does this play into our strengths, or is this going to be another challenge we have to face?’ No, we need to get back to what we’re really great at.”
After lots of chats with senior folks at BioWare and EA, the choice was made to pivot back to the original single-player design. “Once we made that decision, a lot of things started to fall into place,” McKay mentioned.
Even though EA is doing great with their live-service games, making a whopping $1.3 billion in just three months, not every game has to follow that path. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player game, did amazingly well, selling over 10 million copies, and its sequel, Jedi Survivor, was a hit in 2023.
During the development of The Veilguard, BioWare got some extra help. Their team working on the next Mass Effect pitched in, and EA’s Motive Studio, busy with an Iron Man project, also lent a hand. Fans really hope BioWare can shine again, especially after the bumpy ride with Anthem.
It’s still early, but things are looking up. The Veilguard is earning good reviews and breaking records on Steam, according to Metacritic. GameSpot’s review, still in progress, gave it a 7/10. New players might want to peek at GameSpot’s guides for some tips.
