By Sagar V. Mankar 
Electronic Arts (EA) has revised its financial projections for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, citing the underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The company now anticipates net bookings between $7 billion and $7.15 billion, a decrease from the previously forecasted $7.5 billion to $7.8 billion.
In its preliminary third-quarter earnings report, EA disclosed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard engaged approximately 1.5 million players during the quarter, falling nearly 50% short of the company’s expectations. This shortfall significantly impacted EA’s financial outlook, leading to a downward adjustment in revenue forecasts for both the quarter as well as the fiscal year.
Additionally, the Global Football segment, which includes the EA Sports FC 25, experienced a slowdown. Despite strong momentum in the first two quarters, the game did not sustain its performance through the end of the fiscal third quarter. This decline was a major factor in the revised net bookings guidance.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson commented on the situation, stating, “During Q3, we continued to deliver high-quality games and experiences across our portfolio; however, Dragon Age and EA Sports FC 25 underperformed our net bookings expectations.”
Dragon Age: The Veilguard, released on October 31, 2024, received mixed reviews from critics. On Steam, it peaked at less than 300 players and dropped below 100 a week later. Notably, the game debuted at No. 6 on Circana’s top-selling games chart in the U.S. during its first three days, though this ranking does not include Steam digital sales. Despite this, analysts expressed concerns about its long-term success. Mat Piscatella from Circana noted that while the launch was solid, it did not reach the same sales levels as Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth or Dragon’s Dogma II, making it challenging for Veilguard to achieve Dragon Age: Inquisition’s lifetime sales.
Further signs of struggle include significant price discounts just a month after launch during Cyber Monday sales, as well as internal changes at BioWare. Corinne Busche, the game’s director, recently left the studio after 18 years, adding to the list of departures from the Dragon Age development team over the years.
Despite the financial setback, EA remains optimistic about its future. Wilson reassured investors that the company continues to focus on delivering high-quality gaming experiences and expects a return to growth in fiscal year 2026. EA will provide further details in its full earnings report on February 4.