It sounds like singleplayer RPGs may be harder to greenlight at Electronic Arts moving forward as the publisher doubles-down on more guaranteed bets.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the third major BioWare game to miss the mark and EA has taken notice. The game did poorly enough to trigger a rare forecast adjustment from EA's executives, who had significantly lowered full-year earnings targets to reflect the disappointing sales of Veilguard (and the underperformance of EA FC25).
The magnitude of Veilguard's miss is even more pronounced when considering that EA had previously assigned a $20 billion market value to action RPGs. The news triggered a fresh wave of layoffs at BioWare, which has now been culled to a team of less than 100 people. BioWare is currently working on the next Mass Effect game, a singleplayer project that's entering pre-production phases of development.
New comments from EA leadership could indicate that singleplayer RPGs could be placed on the back burner in favor of more lucrative content, such as live services. This push-pull relationship between microtransactions and full games is an old dance for EA.
During Q3FY25 results, EA CFO Stuart Canfield said this about Veilguard:
"Let me start with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Historically, blockbuster storytelling has been the primary way our industry brought beloved IP to players. The game's financial performance highlights the evolving industry landscape and reinforces the importance of our actions to reallocate resources towards our most significant and highest-potential opportunities.
"In Q3, net bookings was $2.22 billion, down 6% year-over-year. Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperformed, highlighting the competitive dynamics of the single-player RPG market."
In the prepared remarks to investors, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson remarked that BioWare's latest RPG was one of high quality and did not reveal the exact depth of Veilguard's miss.
Wilson also underlines the main pillars of what EA calls its "blockbuster storytelling strategy":
"Q3 was not the financial performance we wanted or expected. We know as a leader in global entertainment, great titles - even when built and delivered with polished execution - can sometimes miss our financial expectations.
"So let me provide more context on the quarter and share actions taken to build momentum as we head into the new fiscal year. Our blockbuster storytelling strategy is built on three strategic objectives:
"First, create an authentic story and experience for the core audience; Second, build innovative, ground-breaking features; and third, emphasize high quality launches across both PC and console.
"In order to break beyond the core audience, games need to directly connect to the evolving demands of players who increasingly seek shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives in this beloved category.
"Dragon Age had a high-quality launch and was well-reviewed by critics and those who played; however, it did not resonate with a broad-enough audience in this highly competitive market"