Disgruntled BioWare employees keep popping up to whistle-blow on the failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and expose a toxic echo chamber within the company culture. However, according to sources, the troubled EA-owned developer might see changes in the near future.

Insiders who spoke anonymously to YouTube content creator SmashJT claim that BioWare sold more copies of Veilguard than initially estimated, though the game still fell woefully short of the company’s excessive sales projections.

The source indicated that the company has sold roughly three million copies of Veilguard to date. Although this surpasses initial industry estimates, it still represents an abject failure given the game’s enormous overhead and lengthy development cycle. It also failed to meet the developer’s lofty goals.

BioWare reportedly expected to sell ten million copies of the maligned title within the first three months. This number appears laughable considering the game’s reception and the extremely high return rate from dissatisfied customers.

This failure has also sparked internal concerns that mass layoffs may be imminent.

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

“The failure of Veilguard has prompted deep introspection within the company, as leadership has been enveloped with scrambling to identify and try to address the root causes,” SmashJT said in his official write-up on the topic. “It’s pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain to figure out why Veilguard sputtered, but the closer you are to the center, apparently, the more blurry that image gets for some.”

BioWare’s last great hope appears to be the upcoming untitled Mass Effect sequel. The game’s story is reportedly undergoing drastic changes as the studio tries to prevent another humiliating failure like Veilguard. While the source did not specifically state that these changes relate to ideology and politics, many speculate that such issues contributed to Veilguard’s downfall.

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

Smash indicated that internal documents use buzzwords like “gamer-focused” to describe the game’s approach. Could this suggest that BioWare aims to appeal to its target audience again?

“While this all sounds promising on the surface to the ever-hopeful BioWare fan, the insider expressed sincere skepticism about whether these changes would actually truly address the concerns of players, or if it’s simply just buzzwords to try to keep pushing the same mentality behind the scenes,” SmashJT said. “The transition happening right now inside BioWare is moving toward a more player-centric approach, and it appears to be a reaction to what they describe as ‘the culture war swinging,’ indicating that they are working on a potential shift in priorities within the gaming industry at large.”

The whistleblower admitted to SmashJT that many within the company fear voicing their concerns due to the “black-ball style environment,” where dissenting viewpoints are reportedly squashed and punished.

A screenshot from Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021), BioWare

“Despite the turmoil, the whistleblower emphasized that, just like any AAA game company, there really are great people at BioWare who genuinely care about making excellent games for players,” SmashJT said. “Unfortunately, their efforts are often overshadowed by individuals in positions of power enforcing policies that prioritize agendas over gamers’ interests.”

Do you believe BioWare will ever change? Do you have any hope for Mass Effect? Sound off in the comment section below and share your thoughts!