The troubled saga of Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been extensively covered, but a recent report by Jason Schreier at Bloomberg offers new details about the many challenges leading to its October 2024 release.

Initially intended as a more traditional RPG, EA’s direction forced The Veilguard into becoming a live service game starting in 2017. This pivotal change was seemingly communicated the same night when former creative director Mike Laidlaw departed. The repercussions from the failure of Anthem in 2019 led to doubts, and in 2020, veteran leads Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah left the studio, prompting the removal of its multiplayer concept.

Rather than resetting the project, developers were instructed to adjust the game rapidly within an inadequate timeline. This led to choices made out of urgency rather than thoughtful planning, leaving many struggling beneath the constraints.

The reaction to an early version tested by players in 2022 was lukewarm; The Veilguard struggled with the essence of BioWare’s decision-making and consequence systems due to its multiplayer foundations. Although developers attempted to integrate player choices later on, they faced substantial difficulties reconciling these with the existing framework.

In 2023, staff from Mass Effect were called in to assist with development, yet this collaboration sparked tensions as they made significant changes without budget approval. A misguided last-minute script revision aimed at toning down humor did not resonate well with the intended audience.

In the end, despite an initial promising reaction, the game’s reception dwindled. EA reported around 1.5 million players engaged shortly after launch, significantly below expectations. Rapid decisions led to immediate layoffs at BioWare and left many uncertain about the future viability of the studio’s upcoming projects like Mass Effect. Reports suggest the existence of a small team still working on the next Mass Effect, but many worry for the longevity of BioWare, especially as industry analyst Fraser Brown pointed out the long absence of successful releases from the studio.