Dragon Age star Alix Wilton Regan has shared her heartfelt 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 devastation over BioWare's latest release failing to capture a broader audience, despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics.
During a recent interview that covered her various iconic roles in video games, including her part in Microsoft's upcoming Perfect Dark reboot, Wilton Regan reminisced about her time as BioWare's Inquisitor. However, she indicated that she does not believe the character will return in future installments.
"I feel absolutely devastated for BioWare as a studio that they got such mixed reactions to the game," Wilton Regan remarked about the feedback on 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 review bombing online. The criticism, often labeling the game as "woke," stemmed from the inclusion of a non-binary companion character and the option for players to select a transgender protagonist. On Steam, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is currently rated with a 'Mixed' user response, with tags like "LGBTQ+" and "politics" assigned to it.
"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, EA disclosed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had underperformed by approximately 50% compared to their expectations, shortly after the game's director, Corrine Busche, announced her departure from the company. Additionally, other BioWare employees involved with the game were laid off.
That same month, BioWare indicated that it had issued the final update for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, with no further content planned or announced.
"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."
Currently, a reduced BioWare team is focusing on Mass Effect 5, which has yet to receive a release date.
