Dragon Age: The Veilguard is now Steam's best-selling game, breaking BioWare's concurrent player record

[midian182]

In brief: Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare's long-awaited return to the franchise, finally launched yesterday. There's been quite a lot of controversy around the game, to say the least, but it doesn't seem to be having much of an impact on sales. The RPG has knocked Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 off the top of the Steam chart and has broken BioWare's concurrent player record.

There was plenty of anger from Dragon Age fans when the first gameplay trailer showed The Veilguard's more cartoonish aesthetic, a stark contrast to the realistic and often grim visuals of the earlier games. But it seems that players haven't been put off. The Veilguard is currently the top-selling game on Steam, having pushed Black Ops 6 into second place.

The latest Dragon Age is also breaking BioWare records. According to SteamDB, about 70,414 people were playing concurrently at its peak, the highest ever for a BioWare game, beating Mass Effect Legendary Edition's 59,817 concurrent peak.

Also read: Comcast says Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 pushed internet traffic to record highs - shame about those data caps

It's also one of the highest peaks for Dragon Age publisher EA's single-player games. It beats the 67,855 peak attained by Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, though it's still lower than Need for Speed Heat, which peaked at 86,196, and The Sims 4, which reached a peak of 96,328 concurrent players.

Beyond the look of the game, there has been a lot of controversy over what is being called Dragon Age's political message. One scene in particular sees a character misgender another and do a set of push-ups to apologize, before lecturing the others on why this is better than traditional apologies. The use of the term "nonbinary" in this fantasy setting isn't sitting well with some people, either, with a few comparing it to the infamous "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys" line said by an orc in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

There is a better, more subtle way to include a trans character in your fantasy game that does not involve a performative apology and a lecture using parlance that has no place in a game like this. This is basically self-parody. It's a shame because the game is, imo, still quite… pic.twitter.com/9XXJ2oCdGd

– Erik 'daibo' Kain (@erikkain) October 31, 2024

Aside from that aspect, it seems that most people are enjoying the game. It sits on a Mostly Positive Steam rating (79% positive reviews), with many of the complaints being aimed at performance issues and bugs. Reviews have been good, too. Veilguard has a Metascore of 79 for the PC version, 84 on PS5, and 93 on Xbox Series X.

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard is now Steam's best-selling game, breaking BioWare's concurrent player record

 

[VemigoAmigo]

I will try this eventually. Waiting a few weeks/months so bugs are fixed and quality of live improvements are out.

 

[lonetac]

Downloaded last night but didnt get to play because was busy handing out candy to the kiddos.

 

[fadingfool]

Cartoony big-headed ARPG so on my ignore list (irrespective of the Dragon Age name). Franchise has been going downhill since Awakenings - DA:2 had cut and paste dungeons with the tactical combat of Origins being replaced with button spamming semi action combat. Inquisition continued in this vein (and whilst the landscapes looked good they were empty of content) and was a slog to complete with some irritating characters. At least it tried to integrate previous plot lines unlike this latest one (only carries over 3 decisions - one of which is the romance choice - the one I ignored in Inquisition). Think I'll download some mods and play through Origin instead. If this is what 10 years development gets you I'd rather the 14 to 16 months development for DA:2 even with the cut and paste dungeons....

 

[MasterAce]

I put down a 16€ to eaplay to try it out.

Tried it for a few hours. Someone on youtube complained you can only play a niceguy and dialog did seem that way right away. Seems like a dumbed down RPG, just fine for me.

 

[Puiu]

After seeing what it is about and how it plays... it's a hard pass for me. It's a shame their ruined another IP I loved.

 

[maroon1]

People should not support a game with political agenda.

 

[Skjorn]

I haven't seen anything on this game except this gender scene and like 6 seconds of combat gameplay, which looked like about the same speed as Elder Scrolls Online, which was very boring, uninstalled after less than an hour.

 

[Jyrkz]

Everything WOKE must be destroyed. It use to be called brain illness...

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I'll pick this up for $10 a year from now.

Always liked the Dragon Age universe and it will be easier to enjoy the game for what it is when I don't have $60 riding on it.

Will also form my own opinion of it then, rather than being told what to think by everyone else.

 

[axiomatic13]

The discourse in this thread is banal.

 

[kira setsu]

Y'all know you can just ignore the games existence without jumping on a soapbox and shouting about it right?

 

[fadingfool]

Y'all know you can just ignore the games existence without jumping on a soapbox and shouting about it right?

Or we can discuss the failings of the entertainment industry without trying to silence voices we disagree with. If this was a new IP without the existing fan base I doubt there would be as much passion online - as it is though any sequel will be measured against its predecessors and, as is frequently the case, is found wanting. 10 years in the making and we have a game that has spent more resources fighting bad reviews than it put into creating beleivable dialogue.

 

[Burty117]

I don't understand how it's an 15 rating? You can't even have a slightly negative conversation, there's the odd swear word, but everything looks like a pixar movie, there's not even any gore, and I'll quote from an interview from the developer, "blood magic is "icky".

 

[techstrike]

Some birds told me that the game reviews for this game were not that meritorious.

Time will tell.

 

[NumberNine]

Not worth installing Origin.

 

[Nobina]

These big games from big devs tend to do well even if the game is mediocre, but let's see how popular it will be after the initial hype. Reminds me of Starfield.

 

[Achaios]

"We Wuz Elf Arch0rz"

I blame the fools who bought and play this utterly worthless piece of woke propaganda not those who created it. They have no choice, they have to do w/e the company they work for dictates that they should do.

We see DEI destroying another aspect of our lives that we cherished, RPG gaming.

 

[Achaios]

Downloaded last night but didnt get to play because was busy handing out candy to the kiddos.

I would rather smash my PC and go become a monk at a monastery on the Sierra Madre than pay to play woke propaganda.

Old games are still unaffected by wokeness. There's nothing they can do. Even if they created a ministry of Wokeness & DEI there will still be Private Servers that they can never control.

 

[Jyrkz]

I'll pick this up for $10 a year from now.

Always liked the Dragon Age universe and it will be easier to enjoy the game for what it is when I don't have $60 riding on it.

Will also form my own opinion of it then, rather than being told what to think by everyone else.

Good luck, you have 4 choices to be 100% trans LOL.

Memes are getting better - Video

11,465 points • 934 comments

9gag.com

 

[scavengerspc]

Once again, a small portion of the Techspot community proves the opposite of woke, is asleep.
Which is fitting. The real world scares them. And they don't even know what "woke" truly is.
Of course, the TRUE meaning is what I subscribe to.
Aware of, and concern for, social inequities and discrimination. And that is for all people.
Even the ones like we see here that don't have a clue.

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆.
𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝘂𝗿
𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱"

Not worth installing Origin.

Origin was discontinued over 2 years ago.

 

[toooooot]

Alright, here is my prediction, 2-3 million copies. I was gonna give it 1-2 but decided
that it could do a bit better than SW Outlaw.
In the future when many more people subscribe rather than buy games,
we won't even know how many people actually played teh game.
And that would allow studios to claim any numbers that nobody will be able to verify.

 

[gamerk2]

Once again, a small portion of the Techspot community proves the opposite of woke, is asleep.
Which is fitting. The real world scares them. And they don't even know what "woke" truly is.
Of course, the TRUE meaning is what I subscribe to.
Aware of, and concern for, social inequities and discrimination. And that is for all people.
Even the ones like we see here that don't have a clue.

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆.
𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝘂𝗿
𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱"

This.

The "real" problem is you have writers/producers who have no idea how to implement LGBTQ characters/dialog in a way that doesn't punch you in the face.

Then again, even if characters were written well, the vocal minority would be out in force anyways because that's the thing they're railing against now that it's no longer socially acceptable to pick on gays. Same stuff, different targets.

 

[puckle]

But... It hasn't got Denuvo?
How is this possible?

 

[Shaitan]

Once again, a small portion of the Techspot community proves the opposite of woke, is asleep.
Which is fitting. The real world scares them. And they don't even know what "woke" truly is.
Of course, the TRUE meaning is what I subscribe to.
Aware of, and concern for, social inequities and discrimination. And that is for all people.
Even the ones like we see here that don't have a clue.

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆.
𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝘂𝗿
𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱"


Origin was discontinued over 2 years ago.

Yeah, thanks, I'm a straight white male, which happens to be atheist, pro-abortion and anti-Trump. I live in the EU, which decided that, instead of helping Ukraine 100% and cutting the *****ic regulations, we need to destroy the economy and be a puppet for Chinese and American car industry. But let me get back to the point. I DO 100% support guns, freedom and non-woke crap, as I'm from Romania, Eastern Europe. And freedom means not having agendas stuffed down my throat. I experienced communism in the 80's under Ceausescu and I hate those days.
These modern cultists, because I can't call them otherwise, bash my head with slurs for just being a male. Oh well, let's see how their gaming profits fare if they cater to the mental illnesses.
Of course, it's your absolute right to create or to pander to WHATEVER your heart desires. And also, it's within my legal and moral right to NOT BUY WOKE.
I'll gladly pay my old and ancient games from GoG, Steam or sail the high seas should I need to, but I'm 100% NOT paying a cent for representation, DEI and other bullshit.
Yeah, I played as Kerrigan, as Amanda Ripley, I played Tomb Raider, I never complained about playing as a "diverse" character in a shooter or RPG or whatever, I played Prototype and NO ONE stated "oh, look, we are SO INCLUSIVE". NO ONE complained in Fallout 2 whom you're marrying, and NO ONE made a fuss about it. Not a single scream was heard about this and no virtue signalling was heard from 'the journalists'.
Nowadays, I play ON PURPOSE games which bother the "journalists", as I'm sick and tired to the pandering. I'm sick and tired of retconning characters to fit your twisted and sick agenda of progressive politics.
The good old male gamers are here to stay, and in the light of the last "successes" of the pandering woke crows, I kinda feel a return to pleasing the "male gaze", the "white, pale and stale", and I'm more than happy to see the screeching femin@zi harpies going berserk over this.
If you want to be inclusive, diverse and so on, please, be my guest. But not on my money. Have fun in your Dustborn, Concord and the other festering puss of "games" you so much love. I'll never support companies that decide that "toxic" behaviour needs to be reported to the police, that slurs deserve perma bans and that I need to be online to enjoy a single player game

If the "inclusion", "diversity" and "representation" sell copies or not, yeah, good for them. But my wallet is sealed.