"Dragon Age: The Veilguard Star Devastated by Backlash, Claims BioWare's Critics Wanted Failure"

Dragon Age star Alix Wilton Regan has shared her heartfelt response to the mixed reception of last year's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, attributing the backlash to individuals who, according to her, "wanted to see the game fail, or wanted to see [BioWare] fail."

In a candid interview with IGN, Wilton Regan, who voices the Female Inquisitor in both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, expressed her deep disappointment over the game's failure to resonate with a broader audience, despite receiving mostly favorable reviews from critics. The discussion also touched on her other notable roles in video games, including her part in Microsoft's upcoming Perfect Dark reboot. However, she expressed doubt about reprising her role as the Inquisitor in future BioWare projects.

"I feel absolutely devastated for BioWare as a studio that they got such mixed reactions to the game," Wilton Regan remarked about The Veilguard. "I personally thought it was a really strong game. I thought it was just BioWare being more BioWare. I also think a lot of people kind of wanted to see it fail, or wanted to see [BioWare] fail, either because they're just really bad people on the internet — of which there are unfortunately many, as we have discovered."

The Veilguard faced significant online backlash, including review bombing, upon its release. Much of the criticism labeled the game as "woke" due to the inclusion of a non-binary companion and the option for players to choose a transgender character. On platforms like Steam, the game is categorized with a 'Mixed' user rating, with tags such as "LGBTQ+" and "politics."

Wilton Regan criticized the premature judgment of the game, saying, "People were attacking the game before it was released. It's ridiculous. How can you judge a game, a book, a film, a TV show before it's actually released? You can't. It's an idiotic stance to take."

In January, EA reported that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had underperformed by about 50% compared to their expectations. This announcement came shortly after the game's director, Corrine Busche, announced her departure from BioWare, alongside layoffs affecting other staff members who worked on the game. BioWare also indicated that The Veilguard would not receive any further updates or new content.

Despite the challenges, Wilton Regan remains optimistic about BioWare's future, stating, "I only ever want to see the folks from BioWare thrive, because I adore them. And whatever they go on to do next I have no doubt their talents will be richly rewarded. We're really lucky we'll get more gold from them in the future."

Currently, a smaller BioWare team is focused on developing Mass Effect 5, though no release date has been set.