“Who would be stupid enough to demand something like that?” EA’s comment about The Veilguard has enraged even a former Dragon Age lead. If someone had suggested turning a beloved single-player RPG series into a multiplayer game, Mike Laidlaw would have quit his job.

Electronic Arts has once again angered the gaming community. After admitting that Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperformed by 50% in sales, the company’s CEO stated in the latest financial report that the problem was focusing on a single-player experience instead of making it a live-service game. Fans were quick to criticize these remarks, as they contradict everything the Dragon Age community stands for. Among the many reactions, one that stands out is from Mike Laidlaw, a key figure behind the franchise’s early titles.

Laidlaw, the lead designer of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, as well as the director of Dragon Age: Inquisition, responded to EA’s CEO via a post on BlueSky. The former BioWare developer, now the creative director at Yellow Brick Games, did not hold back: “Look, I’m not a fancy CEO, but if someone told me, ‘The key to making this successful single-player IP work is to make it a multiplayer-only game. No, not a spin-off—fundamentally change everything that made people love the original,’ I would probably quit my job or something.”

“Just thinking out loud, of course. But who would be foolish enough to demand something like that?… Twice.” Laidlaw’s comment refers to EA’s long-standing push for live-service games. In fact, Dragon Age: The Veilguard was initially developed as a Game as a Service (GaaS) project back in 2018. However, the commercial failure of Anthem forced EA to rethink that strategy. Now, it seems the company is once again trying to shift Dragon Age into a format that neither fans nor its original creators support.

Former BioWare Writer’s Advice for EA: “Follow Larian’s Example”

Laidlaw isn’t the only former Dragon Age developer to take issue with EA’s vision. David Gaider, the writer behind the original RPGs, also voiced his frustration and offered EA some direct advice: “Follow Larian Studios’ example with Baldur’s Gate 3.” After all, Baldur’s Gate 3 stayed true to its RPG roots, won over fans, and achieved massive commercial success.

Source: 3djuegos