“In order to break out 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,” Wilson said in an investor call.

This is not the first time I’ve written about a video game that appears to have been sent out to die, and I predict it will not be the last. The latest victim of the business is Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which, of course, was one of the subjects of Electronic Arts’ third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday with CEO Andrew Wilson.

The Veilguard's performance speak to a fundamental misunderstanding of not just what the franchise is about, but the studio that makes it.