Former BioWare executive Mark Darrah has recently stated that the creators of the next Mass Effect should use Dragon Age: The Veilguard as a scapegoat to protect the game’s development. This is a somewhat surprising statement from a veteran who worked as the executive for the Dragon Age series, but it makes sense considering how tense the development of the next Mass Effect will likely be after The Veilguard’s failure.
The Veilguard was released last year after being in development for almost a decade. While the game’s initial critical reviews were generally positive, Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to gain traction with players. Earlier this year, EA revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperformed expectations by around 50%, reaching only 1.5 million players in its first quarter. This led to layoffs at BioWare, which is currently developing the next Mass Effect.
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Former BioWare Exec Mark Darrah Would Encourage Mass Effect's Devs to 'Scapegoat Veilguard'
Now, Mark Darrah said in an interview with MrMattyPlays that the Mass Effect team at BioWare should “use Veilguard as a scapegoat as much as they need to get what they need” from EA. According to the veteran, it could be useful to point out some mistakes made during the development of The Veilguard to avoid similar traps. While this fact was not directly cited by Darrah, Dragon Age: The Veilguard was originally planned as a live service game and then turned into a single-player experience. So, his advice could be aimed at avoiding similar mistakes.
During the interview, Darrah also talked about other aspects of game development. He described how BioWare’s projects have often cannibalized each other in the past, so maybe having the entire team working on a single project would be a good idea. The executive also commented on how EA’s executives struggled to see the mainstream potential in Dragon Age: Origins. According to him, publishers like Electronic Arts prioritize mainstream success. However, several execs had a hard time looking at “super nerdy” titles such as the first Dragon Age and actually seeing them as a mainstream game, a problem they did not have with Mass Effect.
In any case, not much is currently known about the development of the next Mass Effect, such as the game’s official title, when and where it’ll be set, or a release date. Hopefully, the project will move along smoothly at BioWare and be officially announced in the following years, becoming a success when it’s finally released. It may be BioWare’s last chance at success, however, as EA seems increasingly disappointed with the studio’s offerings in the last few years.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 71%
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Genre(s)
- RPG
