BioWare's highly anticipated action RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released to critical acclaim just a few days ago. Playing as Rook, it's up to you to unite the Veilguard and defy the gods.
We don't yet know how well Dragon Age: The Veilguard has sold thus far, but the game does sit at a generally favorable 84/100 on Metacritic. Whether or not these reviews have resulted in the sales needed to justify the game's reported exorbitant budget remains to be seen.
One way developers and publishers attempt to get more return out of their game is through paid DLC typically released post-launch. However, it seems this will not be the case with Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, it's reported that BioWare has no plans to release downloadable expansions. The article reads:
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard now complete, BioWare confirms that there are currently no plans for downloadable expansions. The developers’ full attention has now shifted entirely to the next Mass Effect as their current project.
Adding some more context to the interview, IGN notes that BioWare does plan to support The Veilguard with quality-of-life improvements and smaller content updates. But it sounds like we shouldn't expect full-fledged, narrative-driven story expansions.
As I mentioned, this is a rare move from BioWare as post-launch expansions have become the norm in the industry. BioWare especially has a history of releasing expansions for its games. Mass Effect 2's Lair of the Shadowbroker, Dragon Age: Origins: Leliana's Song, and Dragon Age: Inquisition – Trespasser are just some of BioWare's beloved stories that were told after a game's release.
It's unclear why BioWare is opting not to release any story expansions for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It could be that after the game's nearly decade-long development cycle, BioWare is simply ready to move on to a new project.
The currently untitled Mass Effect game — the fifth game in the sci-fi action RPG franchise — was first announced as part of 2020's "N7 Day." An announcement trailer was shared in December of that year, hinting that it would serve as a sequel to the original trilogy and feature the return of Liara T'Soni. The highly anticipated game has seen a shorter teaser trailer and poster released since the initial announcement, but many of the game's details remain under wraps.
Mass Effect is one of BioWare's most beloved franchises with the original trilogy garnering critical and commercial success. In 2017, BioWare released Mass Effect: Andromeda, which acted as a prequel story in which players were designated as a Pathfinder and tasked with discovering new planets in the Andromeda Galaxy. Mass Effect: Andromeda was met with lukewarm reception and did not receive any single player expansions.