by EA CEO Andrew Wilson says BioWare has regained its strengths with the impending release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, praising its reviews while predicting it has “disruptive potential” thanks to what he calls limited competition.
Speaking to investors during EA’s quarterly earnings conference call, Wilson discussed some of BioWare’s troubled recent history, which was defined in part by the failure of Anthem – a multiplayer game that Wilson described it as “very, very different from something that would be known as a multiplayer game”. BioWare game.” Following Anthem, Wilson said a “big shift had happened” that saw “BioWare really go back to BioWare-type games; really getting back to BioWare’s strengths.”
“BioWare has embraced what has made BioWare a fan-favorite studio and brand, and the types of games they create: incredibly rich worlds, incredibly nuanced characters, truly powerful and compelling stories. with camaraderie, friendships and relationships, and decisions that matter in the context of gameplay,” Wilson said. “And I think it’s that return to what made BioWare great and giving the studio time to address what makes BioWare great in the context of the world of Dragon Age is what Dragon Age amounts to: The Veilguard.”
Wilson’s comments come against the backdrop of what appears to be a sometimes tense relationship with EA. Over the years, rumors have suggested that BioWare has come under pressure to match the success of highly profitable modes like Ultimate Team, although the studio insists EA has supported it. Our report on how BioWare managed to bring Dragon Age: The Veilguard to the finish line after a tumultuous decade details some of the challenges the studio has faced over the years.
In the lead-up to The Veilguard’s release, Wilson praised its strong reviews and suggested that it had “breakthrough potential” thanks to BioWare’s existing fanbase and relatively clear release schedule. “We’re entering a market with limited competition for this category of games given some of the developments that have occurred throughout the industry,” Wilson said, likely referring to Ubisoft’s decision to delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows to 2025.
Separately, EA reported record profits for its second quarter while adding around 15 million new players to The Sims 4 in 2024, and hinted it was not interested in making Apex Legends 2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, for its part, comes out in October. 31.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Do you have any advice? Send him a DM at @the_katbot.
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