Dragon Age: The Veilguard hit the shelves on October 31, and while it’s only been a short time since its release, we’re already getting a glimpse of its sales rankings. It made a respectable debut at No. 6 on the Circana chart for top-selling games in the US during the entirety of October, trailing just behind Metaphor: ReFantazio. However, there’s more beneath the surface than a mere chart placement can reveal.
After seeing the report, I reached out to Mat Piscatella, an analyst at Circana, for further insights into Veilguard’s performance. He shared some important context: while the numbers might suggest the game is lagging behind some other new releases from October, it’s crucial to note that Dragon Age launched right at the tail end of the month, on October 31. The chart’s timeframe extends only until November 2, so we’re really looking at just three days’ worth of sales compared to other titles with a much broader range.
Moreover, Piscatella highlighted that EA doesn’t include Steam data in the best-seller rankings. So, while games like Metaphor had their digital sales on Steam accounted for, the figures for Dragon Age only account for PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
“If we saw the inclusion of Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s PC sales, it might have climbed to as high as the third spot overall,” Piscatella explained. “Regrettably, the decision to include digital sales in these charts is left up to the publisher.”
Aware that comparing launch sales with earlier Dragon Age titles might offer further clarity, I asked Piscatella if Circana had relevant data. Unfortunately, their records only go back to 2018, so a direct comparison isn’t possible. However, Piscatella did provide a bit of market analysis:
“Using Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, we see initial sales and engagement levels indicating a solid, but not exceptional, launch,” he assessed. “The Veilguard has yet to match the launch week sales of games like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth or Dragon’s Dogma II. It’s going to face some challenges to match Inquisition’s lifetime sales, but it’s still early days. November’s data will offer a clearer picture.”
While specific sales figures for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth aren’t available, Square Enix mentioned they didn’t hit their in-house sales goals. On the flip side, Capcom has reported a successful launch for Dragon’s Dogma 2, selling over 2.5 million copies by last April. Some comparison data has also surfaced from the UK via GamesIndustry.biz: The Veilguard debuted at No. 7 in the charts there, but with first-week sales trailing Dragon’s Dogma 2 by over 18%, and nearly 21% behind those of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth.
And if you’re curious about our take on the game, we awarded The Veilguard a 9/10, praising it for breathing new life into the franchise with its exciting combat system, a memorable cast, and compelling character storylines. Opinions have varied, both in reviews and within our team, but if you haven’t experienced it yet, now’s a great time with a Black Friday price drop looming.
Rebekah Valentine, a senior reporter at IGN, penned this piece. You can catch her musings on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Have a tip? Drop her a line at [email protected].
