"Dragon Age: The Veilguard," upon its release last year, met with a dismal reception, marking one of the most surprising failures in the gaming industry. While developer BioWare has since shifted its focus to the next "Mass Effect" installment, this catastrophic setback has severely impacted team morale and led to the departure of numerous developers.
Recently, former "Dragon Age" lead writer David Gaider spoke in an interview about EA's missteps with the franchise. He noted that EA had mistakenly believed the "RPG hardcore" fanbase would unconditionally support new entries in the series, regardless of content changes. This blind conviction, he suggested, led "The Veilguard" to completely abandon the series' original vision, ultimately resulting in both critical and commercial failure.
Gaider revealed that the sentiment, "You don't need to worry about these hardcore gamers; there's no need to cater to them," encapsulated the mindset of EA executives at the time. They reportedly believed that tactical, slow-paced RPGs like "Dragon Age: Origins" no longer aligned with contemporary market trends and opted to steer the series toward action-adventure to appeal to a broader mainstream audience.
However, the outcome was far from what was intended. "The Veilguard" not only stripped away numerous traditional RPG elements, but its plot and character development also drew criticism for being shallow and uninspired. Furthermore, many dialogues and world-building choices overtly contradicted the series' established dark tone, leaving longtime fans profoundly disappointed. 
This disastrous failure dealt a significant blow to EA, prompting external observers to question whether the company truly grasps the core values of the RPG market. While BioWare continues its development of a new "Mass Effect" title, fan optimism regarding its ability to reclaim past glory has significantly waned.
Whether the upcoming "Mass Effect" learns from these past mistakes will be a crucial indicator of EA's potential to reclaim its position at the forefront of the RPG genre.
via： Tech4Gamers