Earlier this week, EA CEO Andrew Wilson set the internet ablaze with comments suggesting that Dragon Age: The Veilguard would have performed better if it had live service elements. Plenty of people have fired back against such a notion, but few have done so with the clarity of lead Dragon Age: Origins writer David Gaider.

Laidlaw's new team at Yellow Brick Games have released Eternal Strands, a fantasy RPG that isn't currently a live service. While it's certainly not reached Dragon Age levels of popularity yet, it also lacks 16 years of history to build hype from.

The Veilguard may have underperformed because it wasn’t a live service game. “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,