Dragon Age Veteran says the interrupted live service game would have made him leave the series

Summary

Dragon Age: Veilguard is perhaps one of the most tragic games in recent years and seems to have put the series on ice.
Some believe that if series veterans like David Gaider had still been to Bioware, it may have been another story.
However, the hypothetical world seems impossible, as Gaider admits that EA's live services for the series would have been the end for him, even if he had stuck a little longer.

Dragon Age veteran David Gaider recently argued that if he had not left Bioware back in 2016 during Anthem's development, EA's live service plans for Dragon Age and Mike Laidlaw's departure would have made him quit.

Although Dragon Age seems to have encountered an unclear and cruel end after the mixed reception for last year's Veilguard, there was a time when the series was one of EA and Bioware's crown jewels. The days of Dragon Age: Origins, DA2, and the Inquisition was partly such a great success because of the main author David Gaider, who has remained voice of the series during the years ago.

From left to right: Man Hawke in Dragon Age 2, Lucanis in Dragon Age: The Vilguard and sunbathed in Dragon Age: Inquisition

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Despite its enormous impact on the series, Gaider unfortunately separated roads with both Bioware and Dragon Age all the way back in 2016 during Anthem's development. Although Gaider has not been involved in the series for a long time, it seems that he would not have had the chance to influence Veilguard if he had stuck past Anthem's release.

Although he had not left Bioware due to Anthem, Dragon Age's leading writer would not have stuck to Veilguard

EA's live service plans would have been too much to wear

Earlier today, Gamesradar+ shared an interview with Gaider where the Dragon Age veteran admits that he would have stayed on Bioware anymore if he had not moved to the anthem during its development. While Gaider involved in Dragon Age sounds like a blessing, he also noted that he would not have been part of Veilguard's development.

In this hypothetical world where Gaider did not leave Bioware, he would have worked with Morrison, the well-documented Dragon Age Live Service game that Bioware had in the works after Joplin was started over and before Veilguard was one thing. Gaider notes that he would have had “no influence on that sequence of events” and that Mike Laidlaw's departure would have been a big reason for him to leave.

I would not have survived the end of Joplin, because the end of Joplin would have been “now we do this live -service dragon age”. – David Gaider

Gaider then notes that he probably would not even have stuck through Morrison's development, as the cancellation of Joplin would have been too much for him. Going from a single-player project to a multiplayer with live service, one that Morrison would have got Gaider to simply say “see ya”, as it is a direction he did not want the series to go in.

All in all, it sounds like whatever happened to Anthem, Gaider's time with Bioware and Dragon Age would have ended long before Veilguard was under development. Unfortunately, it means that no matter how much you may hope that Gaider could have saved the project, it seems that it was never meant to be.