Dragon Age: The Veilguard release should have been a celebration for BioWare — a return to the beloved fantasy world fans have cherished for over a decade, and it was initially. Critics praised the game’s polish and good launch in comparison to a few BioWare’s past titles. But when the old franchise fans entered the game, things didn’t remain in favor of The Veilguard.
Many weeks after release, a curious conversation started on the web that began with a single Reddit user apologizing to the game’s development team. That post has since led to debate across the Dragon Age community, and some fans reconsidered their harsh words while many others still stick to their bad statements.
One Redditor’s Post Lit the Fire
It all started with an apology from Reddit user DJReyesSA1995, who admitted he had unfairly blamed the game’s leadership including creative director John Epler, game director Corinne Busche, and lead writer Patrick Weekes, for the tonal shift and writing in The Veilguard. “They tried their best with a bad deck of cards,” the user wrote, referencing the pressures reported from publisher EA, including multiple redesigns and a failed multiplayer pivot.
This sentiment gained some traction, and a few other users have joined the fray to echo support. One post titled “Corinne Busche saved Veilguard from a far worse fate and we owe her an apology” received good attention on the Dragon Age subreddit; it suggests a small change in some people’s view of the development story behind the game.
Although some fans have taken the blame on themselves for criticism, looking at the big picture involving community reactions paints a different picture.
Across Reddit, comment sections, and gaming forums, the overwhelming response to the fan’s “apology” idea is dismissive or even hostile. Many franchise players feel betrayed by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and describe the game as one that abandoned the series’ roots, with characters and storylines they found shallow or unrecognizable. Even players who considered the game a standalone release claim it didn’t live up to the Dragon Age name.
“No one is apologizing,” one user wrote bluntly. “You got some shills or bots to pretend and are running with it like people actually care about the people who ruined Dragon Age.”
Others pointed to issues with representation. Not with the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters — something Dragon Age has always embraced but with what many fans saw as poorly written attempts at diversity that seemed forced or disconnected from the series’ established narrative. The controversy over the character Taash, for example, also created another drama including fair criticism and, unfortunately, some bigoted attacks; the latter of which should never be excused, no matter how divisive a character can be.
A Tug of War Continues Between Fans vs. Developers vs. EA
Some fans point fingers at the developers, others think EA is to blame, and many haven’t even forgiven the journalists who gave The Veilguard high review scores. One thing is clear, a lot of people don’t buy the storyline that developers were helpless in the face of corporate pressure. “Trying to claim the developers had no hand in it is ridiculous,” one user said. “EA didn’t write the dialogue.”
Others think EA’s corporate influence has hurt the project, but still expect higher quality from BioWare. “Even if they had constraints,” one user said, “they still made the game. They still made those choices.”
This isn’t to say everyone hated the game. Most newcomers or the ones less attached to earlier entries like Origins and Inquisition found the game enjoyable while others love the combat, the nice visual upgrades, or see it more accessible. But such voices are buried down by loud chorus of true series community who are heavily let down by the launch.
BioWare is still silent with no word out of their mouth on future updates, DLC, or franchise direction. Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s place in the Dragon Age legacy remains shaky. Some enthusiasts hope the devs team can learn from this backlash, and many would like to see a reboot of the full game or sell the IP to other developers.
