After a long hiatus and a series of flops, BioWare has returned with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, an action-RPG that, while extremely contentious, is at least not universally panned—something that can't be said about the likes of Anthem. Despite its problems, Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be setting the stage for the studio's return to the mainstream, perhaps being just the first step on the road back to prestige and ubiquity.
Regaining positive audience perception will be a hard-fought battle, though. Dragon Age: The Veilguard may have been showered with praise by the press, but a prevailing opinion is that it wasn't the revivifying release BioWare needed for a true comeback. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Veilguard fell short of EA's sales expectations, according to the publisher's own reports. This means that Veilguard was not a commercial success, and at a company as large and profit-driven as EA, this can be an existential matter. As such, BioWare has a vested interest in putting its best foot forward with a new game, one that is sure to garner just as much, if not more, attention than Veilguard.
Mass Effect is Sitting on One Goldmine that Can't Go Untapped for Long
Mass Effect is known for its high-stakes action-adventure gameplay and narrative, but there might be more options at the series' disposal.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is Out, Mass Effect 4 Is In
A Mass Effect 4 Reveal Can and Should Be Right Around the Corner
Since its brief and cursory announcement trailer in late 2020, Mass Effect 4 has been more or less missing in action. Little to no official details have been delivered from BioWare itself, and with 2025 marking the fifth year since the aforementioned announcement, some more tangible information is long overdue.
Mass Effect and Dragon Age were once the perfect one-two punch from BioWare. The famed developer had a foot in both the sci-fi and fantasy genres back in the late 2000s and early 2010s thanks to this killer combo, which only strengthened BioWare's dominance in the RPG space in the wake of games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Simply put, BioWare was casting a wide net with these two critically acclaimed franchises, whose alternating launch schedules were evocative of a tidal wave, so consistent and unrelenting were these new releases. Capturing this dynamic once again, following up a Dragon Age game with the true reveal of a new Mass Effect, could help BioWare recreate some of its once-unstoppable success.
BioWare Might Be in Serious Need of Some More Goodwill
It's fairly common for even the most well-crafted games to cause a great deal of discord for one reason or another, and controversy doesn't necessarily mean that a game isn't a success. That said, it's safe to say that Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of expectations—even those that love the game must admit that it wasn't received as the triumphant return of BioWare, which is what the company needed; real hype and allure are in short supply for BioWare at the moment, so a lot is riding on Mass Effect 4. A confident, impressive reveal before the year is out could be just the shot in the arm that the developer needs.
Though there was a lot of culture-war-centric debate swirling around Veilguard, with many bad actors lambasting it for being "woke," there has also been a great deal of balanced, measured criticism leveled at the game.
A Mass Effect 4 reveal would also help put series fans at ease in the wake of Veilguard's contentious launch. There have been murmurings about BioWare either shutting down or massively downsizing, resulting in an outright cancelation of ME4, and while the developer has openly refuted such rumors, an undeniable confirmation that Mass Effect 4 is on the way, and in good hands, would be much more impactful.
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
Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.
Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Franchise
- Dragon Age
- PC Release Date
- October 31, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 31, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 31, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
