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Jul 18, 2025
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In 2024, only a few games performed well, and unfortunately, Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to climb to that list. Initially, the performance of the game looked great, but EA has mentioned that it’s not what they expected. The publisher of this game is extremely disappointed with the game’s performance.
There are likely multiple factors behind the game's failure. Despite receiving average popularity, its mediocre performance wasn't enough to help the studio thrive in a challenging market. Therefore, BioWare is in desperate need of increasing The Veilguard’s player base. It seems like this desperation has led the team to bring the game to PS Plus.
Before Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released, the publicity of the game was massive, and EA expected this game would be one of the major successes of 2024. However, this scenario soon changed after the game was globally released. It received positive reviews from critics and attracted a decent number of players as well. However, it completely failed to match EA's sales expectations. Three months after its release, EA’s report stated that this game only reached 1.5 million players, while the projected amount was double. This downfall has hit EA financially.
Now, the fact is that this failure must have multiple reasons behind it. For example, the last game of the Dragon Age series was released a decade ago, in 2014. In the past ten years, many things have changed in the gaming industry. The tastes and preferences of gamers have also changed. Therefore, this lengthy development cycle of the game can be one of the most potential reasons for its underperformance.
The next thing that has probably affected the game’s performance in the competitive landscape is the existence of games like Baldur’s Gate 3. Since its release, Baldur’s Gate 3 has set a benchmark for RPG games. Games that fail to touch that benchmark get an average reception from players.
Finally, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s performance was probably affected by internal challenges, including changes in development direction and team restructuring.
Currently, the gaming industry has been going through a phase where delivering hugely successful games couldn’t save studios from shutdown or the teams from layoffs. Therefore, BioWare has to take immediate steps to cover the lackluster sales of the game, and what can be a better idea to do that than adding it as a free title to the subscription services?
Considering this, it can be said that adding Dragon Age: The Veilguard to the PS Plus service, starting from March 2025, is a strategic move by BioWare to ensure the sales of the game heighten, giving it further popularity. Adding the game for free on PS Plus will lower the barrier and attract more players who were initially confused about purchasing the game.
This decision also aligns with PlayStation’s strategy of providing gamers with loads of high-quality, recent titles. So, the entry of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, with other titles like Sonic Colors: Ultimate and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga, will enrich the PlayStation Plus library and appeal to a diverse gaming audience.
The addition of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to the March lineup of the PS Plus service highlights the dynamic nature of the gaming industry. In this turbulent situation, commercial performance significantly influences distribution strategies. Generally, massively successful titles don’t come to the subscription services initially. Because The Veilguard failed to match the sales expectation of BioWare, that’s the reason it is coming to PS Plus within six months of its global release.
