Bioware’s David Gaider Defends Dragon Age II’s Design Direction

According to Bioware writer David Gaider, the design team behind Dragon Age II found the fan feedback of the game “surprising,” but expressed that they preferred to see divided opinions over their game over indifference.

Speaking in an interview with Gamasutra, Gaider reiterated his studio’s argument that Dragon Age 2 can’t satisfy everyone, and so the team had picked a vision and stuck with it.

“If there’s anything that’s surprising it’s just how polarized some of the reaction has been,” he said. “There’s a lot of love for Dragon Age among our fans, and that love can translate into passion.”

Gaider addressed concerns that the sequel had not been what fans of the first game wanted.

“In my opinion, that’s better than apathy, even if it forces you to filter out the extremes. However, the criticism should not be dismissed as simple nostalgia. There are fans who felt disappointed… and there’s a feeling [on our team] that we went to improve from the groundwork we’ve laid down.”

“At the end of the day, Dragon Age can’t be everything to everyone—so we simply have to pick a direction and make it the best experience we can.”