With BioWare moving on from Dragon Age: The Veilguard and setting its sights on its next Mass Effect game, the studio's development, release, and post-launch approach to the former could offer some insight into what to expect for the latter. Despite its predecessor, Dragon Age: Inquisition, setting a high standard for post-launch content with its Trespasser DLC in particular setting the stage for Dragon Age: The Veilguard itself, BioWare's confirmation that it had no similar DLC for its latest game in the series seemed surprising. However, this announcement now makes more sense, given the recent layoffs at BioWare and the studio's uncertain future.
But with BioWare also claiming that it remains committed to its long-since-teased and as-of-yet unnamed Mass Effect 4, it seems that this next game in its other flagship franchise could determine this future. To add to this reassurance, BioWare's earlier statement during DA: The Veilguard's development that it is refocusing on single-player story-driven experiences following the failure of Anthem indicates that the studio is endeavoring to learn from its past. Therefore, looking back on what did and didn't work in DA: The Veilguard could set expectations for Mass Effect 4.
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard in BioWare's Rearview, It Might Not Be Much Longer for One Big Reveal
Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out of the way, BioWare could move forward with another, equally anticipated project reveal.
Choices Made and Lessons Learned From Dragon Age: The Veilguard Will Likely Shape Mass Effect 4
Acknowledging that DA: The Veilguard failed to meet EA's expectations, it was arguably wise for BioWare to move on and scrap any potential plans it had for DLC. However, as DA: The Veilguard joins the likes of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, BioWare appears to face an uphill struggle as it pushes forward with Mass Effect 4. With this in mind, the studio will likely review the decisions made during DA: The Veilguard's development and the lessons learned following its launch as BioWare works on its next game.
This could mean that Mass Effect 4 will be significantly impacted by DA: The Veilguard, such as potential reworks to its story, characters, setting, and more. For instance, DA: The Veilguard drew criticism for not allowing players to import past saves from DA: Inquisition, suggesting the Dragon Age game shouldn't have been a sequel. Consequently, despite Liara's cameo in Mass Effect 4's announcement trailer suggesting it will pick up from where the original trilogy left off, BioWare might want to reconsider this approach after the response it received to DA: The Veilguard as a direct sequel.
Mass Effect 4 Could Forego DLC Thanks to Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Mass Effect: Andromeda
While DLC has played an important role in past BioWare games, such as Mass Effect 3's Leviathan and Citadel or DA: Inquisition's Trespasser, the fact that DA: The Veilguard didn't receive any appears to fit a trend in the studio's latest games. For example, even though ME: Andromeda's ending teased its potential for DLC with a Quarian ark—something that was later addressed in the Mass Effect: Annihilation novel—it could be that BioWare is discouraged from pursuing DLC for underperforming games. This could explain why both ME: Andromeda and now DA: The Veilguard will not receive any DLC after their mixed receptions.
However, it could also be that BioWare's previous DLC strategy seemed to set up its future games for failure. For instance, beyond the return of Liara in Mass Effect 2's Lair of the Shadow Broker or new squadmates like Zaeed, Kasumi, or Javik, DLC like Arrival or even DA: Inquisiton's Trespasser that directly set up a sequel have not worked out in BioWare's favor. With Arrival's poor reception and DA: The Veilguard falling short of expectations set by Trespasser, BioWare might be foregoing DLC with other upcoming games like Mass Effect 4 to focus on its current games and not its potential sequels.
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
- Genre(s)
- RPG
