BioWare’s latest game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, has broken some records for the studio and EA to become the best-selling single-player game for the company. But despite the success on day one, the game has quickly dropped back down in numbers. And the reason shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
The game’s “wokeness” and allegedly overt political messaging have been the main reasons why players have such a strong dislike for it. Especially considering what players have already experienced in previous titles in the series, this one has been a letdown to many.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Made a Splash, But The Waters Are Already Still Again
At launch Dragon Age: The Veilguard set new records for a single-player BioWare game on Steam, reaching over 70,000 concurrent players. By comparison, previous hits like Mass Effect Legendary Edition had peaked at 59,800 players.
These impressive numbers initially positioned Veilguard as a potential fan favorite and showed promise for EA’s renewed focus on Steam releases. After the first day though, player numbers have quickly dwindled on a downward trend instead of upward.
This quick rise and fall has brought to mind similar games like Anthem, which also debuted with impressive numbers before quickly losing player interest. This immediate downward trend is unexpected for large-scale single-player games. In comparison, Black Myth: Wukong only saw its numbers go up in its first month.
The problem for many in The Veilguard‘s handling of social themes, especially scenes that many players found overly preachy and out of place in a fantasy setting. In particular, one scene features a character apologizing with a set of push-ups for a misgendering incident, complete with a lecture on pronouns.
This kind of storytelling makes it feel more like a lecture on modern-day issues rather than an actual RPG story. I doubt any gamer picks up the controller and boots up a game to play out a 2024 university seminar on social messaging.
If You’re Expecting Classic Dragon Age, It’s Not What You’ll Get
We’ll just have to wait and see how it does long term. | Image Credit: BioWare
This is not the first time BioWare has tried to explore gender and identity in its games. Dragon Age. Inquisition introduced an in-universe character with gender identity themes using the term “Aqun-athlok”. According to the lore, Aqun-athlok is one who is “born as one gender but lives like another.”
It would’ve been much better if The Veilguard continued this idea to relay these kinds of social messages with in-universe reasonings and stories behind them. With the way it’s been done, fans have found it utterly lackluster. And understandably so.
Meanwhile, Veilguard’s visuals and gameplay features have been a bright spot for some players. The game has a combat system that blends action and tactics, as well as loot mechanics that fans have praised. BioWare’s return to its RPG roots is evident here, with detailed mission structures and a world that feels familiar.
These elements have been a redeeming factor for fans who prioritize gameplay mechanics over narrative. But for players who were drawn in by BioWare’s legacy of complex storytelling, these strengths may not be enough to make up for the lack of narrative depth.
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