Dragon Age Star 'Devastated' by Backlash, Claims BioWare Critics Wanted Failure

Dragon Age star Alix Wilton Regan has shared her personal reaction to the backlash against 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."

The actor, renowned for her role as the Female Inquisitor in both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, expressed to IGN her profound disappointment over the game's failure to captivate a broader audience, despite receiving largely favorable reviews from critics.

In a comprehensive interview that also touched on her other notable video game roles and her part in Microsoft's upcoming Perfect Dark reboot, Wilton Regan reflected fondly on her time with BioWare as the 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."

At its launch, The Veilguard was subjected to review bombing online, with criticism focusing on its "woke" elements, particularly the inclusion of a non-binary companion character and the option for players to choose a transgender protagonist. On Steam, Dragon Age: The Veilguard now holds a 'Mixed' user rating, with user-generated tags labeling it under "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 who worked on the game faced layoffs.

During the same month, BioWare indicated that it had released its 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."

A now smaller BioWare team is currently focused on developing Mass Effect 5, which does not yet have a scheduled release date.