The podcast Vows & Vengeance associated with Dragon Age: The Veilguard recently triumphed by winning the Best Audio/Podcast Award at the Tribeca Festival. While this acknowledgment is significant for the title, it comes with a hint of sadness due to the game’s unsuccessful reception among players and its classification as a failure by Electronic Arts.
Initially launched following nearly ten years in development, Dragon Age: The Veilguard saw mostly positive feedback, earning an average score of 80 on OpenCritic. Despite being hailed as an enjoyable action RPG, it faced severe critique regarding several elements of its narrative.
The Vows & Vengeance podcast, comprising eight episodes, offered fans a glimpse into the Veilguard’s characters prior to the game’s release. Although it wasn’t penned by BioWare’s principal writers, it was supervised by John Epler, who transitioned from BioWare to another EA entity called Full Circle Studio.
This honor, however, has arrived too late to salvage the game’s fortunes. EA released figures earlier this year, disclosing that Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of expectations, attracting only about 1.5 million players, which represented a 50% deficit against forecasts, effectively branding it a commercial failure.
In the wake of these disappointing results, several developers associated with Dragon Age: The Veilguard faced layoffs from BioWare, effectively dismantling the original development team and reallocating some personnel to projects like the forthcoming Mass Effect installment.
Though the exact reasons behind the developmental hurdles encountered during the production of The Veilguard remain ambiguous, it is likely that further insights will emerge over time as developers discuss the project’s challenges. Recently, Jason Schreier reported on the game’s missteps, citing sources that highlighted troubled development characterized by two reboots and notable internal conflicts between the Dragon Age and Mass Effect teams. The trajectory of BioWare’s future hinges on the development of the next Mass Effect, which is ongoing without an established release date.
