Dragon Age: The Veilguard sales have reportedly reached 1 million copies, according to an internal memo from BioWare. However, this might not be good news for the once popular RPG studio.

Since the Halloween release of Veilguard, there have been a striking number of leaks coming out of BioWare and EA. Independent commentators like SmashJT, Endymion, and former World of Warcraft team lead Mark Kern, AKA Grummz, have been spilling the tea regarding abysmal sales numbers, horrible reviews, a shocking return rate, and plummeting resale value.

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 According to sources close to the situation, BioWare is furious at the leaks and have launched an internal investigation to weed out whistleblowers.

“Dragon Age Veilguard has failed to recover it’s costs,” Grummz said on X. “It has failed and no, holiday sales won’t save it. Bioware is so angry that Dragon Age Veilguard sales numbers have leaked, that they are launching an internal investigation to find the leakers.”

However, according to SmashJT, his initial source is safe from the ire of BioWare, at least for now.

“I spoke with that original whistleblower after publishing that initial video and he put me at ease that no one there knows it was him at this time,” SmashJT said in a post on his official website. “But the reaction from the fallout of that video speaks volumes for the atmosphere at BioWare right now. They’re more concerned with silencing any ‘whistleblowers’ than addressing any actual issues within the company: Much like Firewalk Studios before their ultimate demise, the toxic positivity has taken over the workplace.”

A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare

It was originally reported by both SmashJT and YouTube commentator Endymion that the game had sold only 500,000 copies with more than 30,000 refunds issued. However, BioWare is internally disputing those numbers, claiming in a memo sent out to its team that they’ve crossed the 1 million copy threshold.

“I’ve just been informed by my source at BioWare that they’ve been updated over the weekend and Dragon Age: The Veilguard has now crossed over 1 million sales,” Smash JT said on X. “While I personally still have my doubts to this number based on the surrounding circumstances, I wanted to pass along the info in the interest of full disclosure to all. I’d imagine BioWare will be making a marketing push at some point soon with this info.”

A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare

Even if this figure is true, after a nine year development and costs swelling to reportedly exceed $200 million, its estimated that the game will have to sell up to 5 million copies to break even.

It’s also unknown whether BioWare is referring to the number of copies sold by retailers or the number of copies they’ve shipped to retailers.

A That Park Place source that works in retail management has told this outlet that his sales region (comprised of seven stores) has seen an exchange and resale rate of 75% for the troubled title.

A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare

The trade in value for Veilguard would also support the theory that there’s plenty of copies clogging up retailer shelves.

As of this writing, the trade-in value of Dragon Age: The Veilguard on PlayStation 5 is “up to $22.”

That figure is actually the value for store credit. Players looking to return this brand new $70 game for cash will only net $14 or $15 for a pristine copy.

Concurrent players have also dropped off big time.

A screenshot of the concurrent Steam players for Dragon Age: The Veilguard as of November 11m 2024 – Steam

As of this writing, the game has 27,277 players with a 24-hour peak of 31,654. At launch, the game experienced a high of 89,418. That’s A 64.6% drop before the game is even a month old.

BioWare seems to be touting the 1 million units figure internally as a success. But according to SmashJT’s source, the atmosphere within the company is grim and tense.

“Despite the reported sales, according my insider, the atmosphere at BioWare is anything but celebratory,” SmashJT said. “Morale is at an all time low, and there’s extreme tension surrounding the game’s reception and the state of internal relations. The response to The Veilguard has been weak, with YouTubers and players alike voicing concerns about its quality and perceived indoctrination, alongside a severe lack of any innovation. Amid this, internal pressures are taking a toll on BioWare’s team, adding multiple layers of stress to an already difficult launch.”

Do you think BioWare is lying about its sales numbers? What kind of future does the game developer have after this? Sound off and let us know!