- 2024's Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperformed, reaching 1.5 million players, which is half of EA's expectations.
- David Gaider believes the series is likely dead under EA's ownership, stating it is 'unlikely' to continue.
- Gaider expressed interest in reviving the franchise if given the chance, wanting to take it 'somewhere dark and dangerous'.
- Gaider noted that throughout his time at BioWare, they were always one breath away from the project being shelved.
- He mentioned that EA has treated the series like 'the redheaded stepchild'.
- Gaider believes that if he were to work on a new Dragon Age, he would want to go back to the basics of what made the series appealing.
David Gaider, the former lead writer of the Dragon Age series, has expressed his belief that the franchise is effectively dead while under the ownership of Electronic Arts (EA). In a recent interview, he stated, "it's unlikely the world would see another instalment of the series while it remained under BioWare owner EA's control."
Gaider's concerns stem from the underwhelming performance of 2024's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which reached only 1.5 million players in its first three months, falling short of EA's expectations. In contrast, Dragon Age: Inquisition was BioWare's best-selling game, shifting 12 million units.1
Reflecting on the series' future, Gaider remarked, "From Electronic Arts? Unlikely." He noted that EA has historically treated Dragon Age as the "redheaded stepchild" of its franchises, often dismissing its successes as flukes. He recalled a time when a marketing head suggested they needed to "put lipstick on a pig" to sell the game.
Despite his skepticism, Gaider expressed a willingness to revive the series if given the chance, stating, "If somebody handed the Dragon Age franchise back to me and said, 'Breathe the life back into this baby', that'd be a tough one, but I think that'd be an interesting thing to do." He envisions taking the series in a "dark and dangerous" direction, aiming to return to the roots that made Dragon Age appealing to fans.
“Gaider noted that Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached only 1.5 million players in its first three months, significantly below EA's expectations. He expressed that while he sees little hope for the franchise under EA, he would be interested in returning to the series if it were handed back to him.”
Eurogamer.net
