BioWare has been engaged in the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the fourth entry in its fantasy RPG series, for nearly a decade. The studio has invested significant resources, logging around 200,000 hours on playtesting the PC version of the game and recording an impressive 140,000 voice lines.
These milestones showcase the extensive effort that has gone into the game’s production, but a noteworthy incident during a meeting with EA executives also highlighted the challenges the team has faced.
The meeting with EA President Laura Miele and CEO Andrew Wilson was particularly important for BioWare, especially since the team had recently shifted the focus of Dragon Age: The Veilguard from a multiplayer format to a more traditional single-player story experience.
Game director Corinne Busche spent considerable time preparing for the live demo, making sure she was intimately familiar with the content to effectively present the game to the EA leadership.
Unfortunately, the live demonstration did not proceed as smoothly as hoped. During a key moment in the presentation, Busche confronted one of the game’s notorious enemies, a Pride Demon, and her character was promptly knocked off the edge into a pit, resulting in a game-over scenario.
This unexpected mishap underscored the inherent unpredictability of live gameplay demonstrations, particularly for a title still in development.
Despite the setback, the situation was not entirely disastrous. After Busche’s unfortunate fall, Andrew Wilson responded with a light-hearted comment about the game’s load times, offering a moment of levity amidst the pressure of the presentation. This exchange reflected the mix of tension and humor that often characterizes high-stakes game demos, highlighting the resilience and camaraderie of the development team.
As Dragon Age: The Veilguard prepares for its release on October 31 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, anticipation continues to build among fans. The team remains focused on delivering a compelling single-player experience, which is expected to be a significant evolution in the franchise.
The development journey, marked by both challenges and triumphs, exemplifies BioWare’s commitment to creating a rich and engaging world for players.
