A new report details that BioWare will not be developing any DLC or expansions for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but will instead turn their entire focus to Mass Effect 5.
Taash in Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
George Yang at Rolling Stone reported on Halloween, “With Dragon Age: The Veilguard now complete, BioWare confirms that there are currently no plans for downloadable expansions.”
He added, “The developers’ full attention has now shifted entirely to the next Mass Effect as their current project.”
A subsequent report from Kat Bailey at IGN did detail that BioWare is not completely abandoning Dragon Age: The Veilguard following its release, but will support the game “with quality-of-life improvements and a handful of smaller content updates.”
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
Given the game will not have any DLC it calls into question EA CEO Andrew Wilson’s bravado surrounding the game during a recent earnings calls. Wilson touted that the game had “breakout potential.”
He told investors, “t’s an amazing time at EA. And in two days, we will launch Dragon Age: The Veil guard. It’s been 10 years since we launched its predecessor Game of the Year Winner Dragon Age: Inquisition.”
He continued, “Early critic scores are strong and reflect the high-quality depth and detail in niches action pack adventure. We expect Dragon Age to be a great example of how our blockbuster storytelling engages and connect fans in truly unique ways.”
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
In the Q&A portion of the call, Wilson was asked by Raymond James Financial Group Analyst Andrew Marok, “I have seen some very strong reviews so far. But as far as you can tell, what drives that kind of breakout success we’ve seen in some single-player fantasy games in the last couple of years? And how do you feel that Veilguard might compare along those lines?”
Wilson responded, “I certainly think Veilguard has breakout potential. Again, 10 years ago, Dragon Age: Inquisition won Game of the Year and was a very strong performer for us in the conduct of our business. This is entertainment. And so while much of our business has moved to live service moment-to-moment, deliver innovation and creativity for a deeply engaged community over the course of time, this opportunity to bring in incredibly high quality, creative storytelling set in an amazing world with rich characters living out those stories you’re able to capture that moment in entertainment. Success almost certainly follows.”
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
He explained, “And we see that in the context of movies, and we’re seeing in the context of TV seasons, and we see in the context of video games. When we think about what we have with Veilguard right now, we have a storied studio in BioWare. We have a storied IP in Dragon Age. We have a team that took extra time to make sure the world was rich and the characters were interesting and the story was compelling. I think we are going into a market that has limited competition for this category of game given some of the moves that have happened across the broader industry.”
“And so while I think it’s too early to predict the outcome, the critical reviews have been incredibly strong. The team feels really energized by what they have delivered. And my sense is that, yes, it has breakout capabilities,” he reiterated.
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
While Wilson claimed the game had “breakout capabilities,” EA’s Chief Financial Officer Stuart Canfield shared that the company was “maintaining our assumptions for our upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard launch this week and our partner title slated to launch in Q4.”
He later added, “Turning to Q3, We expect net bookings of $2.4 billion to $2.55 billion, up 1% to up 8% year-over-year, largely driven by the launch of Dragon Age and continued growth in our EA Sports FC franchise.”
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
READ: BioWare Accused Of “ASTROTURFING” Reviews For ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’
One would think that if Wilson was as confident about the game’s breakout potential as he claims, he would be investing in DLC that players would want to purchase for the game.
However, it seems the opposite is the case. Rather than putting more development cash into the game, it looks like the directive has been given to cut losses and move on to Mass Effect 5.
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
What do you make of the fact that BioWare will not be making any DLC or expansions for Dragon Age: The Veilguard?
