Dragon Age Star 'Devastated' by Backlash, Claims BioWare's 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 those 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 that she was "absolutely devastated" by the game's failure to attract a larger audience, despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics.

During a comprehensive interview that covered her notable roles in video games—including her part in Microsoft's upcoming Perfect Dark reboot—Wilton Regan reminisced about her time as BioWare's Inquisitor but noted she did not expect the character to return.

"I feel absolutely devastated for BioWare as a studio that they got such mixed reactions to the game," Wilton Regan stated regarding 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, particularly over its inclusion of a non-binary companion character and the option for players to select a transgender protagonist. On Steam, the game is labeled with a 'Mixed' user response, accompanied by user-defined 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, EA reported 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. Concurrently, other BioWare staff who contributed to the game were laid off.

Also in January, BioWare announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had received its final update, 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 reduced BioWare team is currently focused on Mass Effect 5, which has yet to announce a release date.