Former Dragon Age Producer Critiques EA as a ‘Hedge Fund Playing with Video Games’

Dragon Age: The Veilguard struggled to meet sales expectations, falling short of the millions that were anticipated. In the aftermath, BioWare faced significant cuts, leaving the once-mighty RPG developer focused solely on a new Mass Effect title. This raises questions about the future of the Dragon Age franchise. Former series producer Mark Darrah isn’t optimistic.

“I honestly don’t know who at BioWare would even pitch a new Dragon Age,” Darrah, who departed BioWare in 2021 after a 23-year tenure, recently shared. “The alternative is that someone else within EA decides to propose a Dragon Age project, but I can imagine that someone at BioWare would likely be ready to tear that idea apart. I doubt it would come to fruition for several reasons.”

He pointed out that EA holds a wealth of dormant intellectual properties and highlighted the company’s vast scale, noting how its annual sports franchises tend to overshadow standalone titles. “The lengthy development of Veilguard was a reflection of EA’s complex relationship with game releases,” Darrah explained. “Someone once described EA as a hedge fund with a video game hobby that it wishes it didn’t spend so much on. That sentiment still rings true.”

The seasoned producer paints a bleak picture for the future of Dragon Age and BioWare as a whole, especially with EA nearing a leveraged buyout by a consortium of investors, including significant backing from Saudi Arabia. “If you’re part of that Saudi investment, do you really want a Dragon Age game to exist?” he posed. “I could see arguments for both sides… but do you even want BioWare in the picture anymore?”

BioWare certainly wouldn’t be the first studio to suffer after an acquisition by EA.