Okay, picture this: It’s sometime during early 2000s — EA and their relationship with RPGs was, well, a bit rocky, to say the least. You know, like trying to mix oil and water. EA’s top brass thought traditional RPG stuff was just — oh boy — too “slow and cumbersome” for their liking. I mean, imagine trying to drag them through a D&D session. They’d probably bail before the first dice roll.
So, there’s this guy, David Gaider, who, by the way, was the genius behind Dragon Age’s sweeping narratives. He’s like the RPG whisperer and had been with BioWare for ages, shaping and molding stories while, uh… not exactly singing Kumbaya with EA’s suits. The dude was pushing for keeping that rich RPG vibe, which EA seemed to treat like it was an old pair of socks. Uncool, right?
Flash forward to Dragon Age: Origins, circa 2009. It was blazing hot on the scene, and everyone was like, “Heck yeah, this is epic!” Despite this kickass triumph, even in 2025 some folks still say it’s all that (and the metaphorical bag of chips). As the series rolled out more sequels, though, they kinda got hit-and-miss reactions. It’s like when you try making grandma’s secret recipe and end up with something only the dog seems to like. You feel me?
Gaider threw some shade, casually mentioning how EA branded RPG mechanics like relics only the so-called “nerds in the cave” cared about. “You’ve got your RPG, nerds will come, no need to woo them,” EA thought. But, oh! They had an eye for the big fish — the untapped sea of non-cave dwellers. Hmm, sounds like a recipe for… Anthem’s commercial face-plant? Maybe. I won’t say it. Or maybe I just did.
Now, here’s a fun twist: Dragon Age: The Veilguard didn’t quite dazzle. It’s sorta flopped onto the scene like a pancake that forgot to flip. BioWare seems to be grinding away at the next Mass Effect as we speak (cue sci-fi sound effects). Who knows, maybe they’ll loop back to Dragon Age after that space-field jaunt. Fingers crossed for a redemption arc!
So, yeah, EA and BioWare’s tango was… clunky. Not that I’m a dancer or anything, but boy, it seems Gaider faced some uphill battles, trying to keep the dragons roaring amidst a storm of push-back. Makes you think about how creative folks tussle with corporate vision and all that jazz. Not quite a fairytale, huh?
