"Dragon Age Star Devastated by Backlash, Claims Fans Wanted BioWare to Fail"

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

Wilton Regan, who voices the Female Inquisitor in both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, expressed to IGN her deep disappointment over the game's failure to capture a broader audience, despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics.

In a recent interview where she discussed her various iconic roles in video games, including her part in Microsoft's upcoming Perfect Dark reboot, Wilton Regan reflected fondly on her time as BioWare's Inquisitor but expressed doubt about the character's future return.

"I feel absolutely devastated for BioWare as a studio that they got such mixed reactions to the game," Wilton Regan remarked about the response to 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."

Upon its release, The Veilguard faced significant review bombing online. The criticism, often labeling the game as "woke," focused on its inclusion of a non-binary companion character and the option for players to select a transgender protagonist. On Steam, the game is currently rated as 'Mixed' by players, with user tags such as "LGBTQ+" and "politics."

"People were attacking the game before it was released," Wilton Regan added. "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, publisher EA reported that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had underperformed by about 50% compared to their expectations, shortly after the game's director, Corrine Busche, announced her departure from the company. Additionally, other BioWare staff members who contributed to the game were laid off.

BioWare also announced in January that they had released the final update for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, with no further content planned.

"I only ever want to see the folks from BioWare thrive, because I adore them," Wilton Regan concluded. "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."

A now smaller BioWare team is currently developing Mass Effect 5, which has yet to receive a release date.