September 2024

Dragon Age Inquisition far exceeded EA's expectations says ex-BioWare dev

Dragon Age: Inquisition has far exceeded EA's expectations, according to a former BioWare developer.

The fantasy action RPG Dragon Age: Inquisition was launched in 2014. It enjoyed both critical and commercial success, boasting the largest launch in BioWare's history in terms of units sold.

Ten years later, Mark Darrah, the former executive producer of Dragon Age, revealed that Inquisition sold over 12 million copies. This significantly surpassed EA's internal projections for the game.

Surpassing Expectations

Mark Darrah shared on social media that Dragon Age: Inquisition was far from a commercial failure. He stated:

"Yeah I'm not sure where 'DAI was a commercial failure' came from... It's over 12 million at this point. MASSIVELY oversold the internal EA projections... Oh yeah and was GotY in 2014."

Why Now?

Darrah's comments were in response to a social media discussion. An individual claimed that Inquisition was a "commercial failure." This conversation stemmed from debates on how the Dragon Age series had changed its tone after the release of the first game, Origins, in 2009.

Some fans feel the series lost its "super serious and dark" tone after Origins. This sentiment is part of an ongoing debate about the series' direction. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the latest installment, continues this trend with a more stylized and action-oriented gameplay.

Evolution of the Series

Many fans miss the darker, bloodier style of Origins. However, The Veilguard represents the natural evolution from Inquisition, which had already moved away from Origins in terms of gameplay and artistic style.