Summary
- EA didn’t appreciate traditional RPG mechanics as they considered them “slow and cumbersome”.
- David Gaider, lead writer of Dragon Age, felt his views weren’t welcomed by EA.
Dragon Age: Inquisition lead writer and former BioWare veteran David Gaider has spoken on how EA approached RPG design during his time with the company. As lead writer on the original Dragon Age: Origins, its 2011 sequel, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, Gaider worked on the franchise for a long time, but didn’t always agree with EA’s approach.
The emergence of Dragon Age: Origins in 2009 was enormous, another critical and commercial hit for BioWare to have under its belt at the time. It’s so good, in fact, that Dragon Age: Origins is still well worth playing in 2025, even if later iterations in the series haven’t quite been as well-received. It’s a testament to the quality of that initial title that interest in the newer titles still remains so high, despite the more mixed reception from fans.
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Speaking to GamesRadar+, Dragon Age series veteran David Gaider claimed he “was always trying to push it to our traditional mechanics. And that wasn’t very welcome in the EA sphere,” with EA considering those types of mechanics “slow and cumbersome.” He believed his views “were often not very welcome,” despite his status as a veteran who had a big hand in creating one of the best BioWare series to date.
Dragon Age Lead Writer Claims EA Didn’t Focus on Traditional RPG Audiences
Gaider also claimed that EA felt that those traditional RPG mechanics belonged “in the cave,” which was, in EA’s belief, “where nerds went. The nerds were in the cave. You made an RPG and the nerds in the cave would always show up for an RPG, because it was an RPG… You didn’t have to try and appeal to them. You had to worry about the people who weren’t in the cave, which was the audience we actually wanted, which was much larger.” BioWare would later go on to create Anthem, a huge commercial flop that could arguably be a result of the attitude Gaider discusses.
You made an RPG and the nerds in the cave would always show up for an RPG, because it was an RPG.
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperforming, it’s not quite clear what the future holds for the series at the moment. BioWare is currently working on the next Mass Effect game, so it could be something for the developer to revisit after the next iteration of its premier sci-fi franchise. There’s clearly still a lot of potential in the Dragon Age IP, even if The Veilguard failed to meet EA’s expectations.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
9/10
- Released
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November 18, 2014
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts
- Engine
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Frostbite
