I feel it's in the realm of possibility the Kickstarter games could eventually climb to the 1 million range once we get through the $5-$10 sale cycle that tends to come eventually.
That said, EA's bar for "worthy of retail AAA core game" is "franchise that can eventually become a 5+ million unit seller", which is a bar I have trouble envisioning for something like Wasteland 2 or Project Eternity.
That kind of comparison always seemed a bit skewed to me. The Bioware we know today fits into a enormous machine that needs to use it's pieces to their fullest perceived potential. Their mandate is not just "Make good games and try to new things".
It's probably something like :"Use your IP's in cross-media promotion and try to always expand your audience by streamlining mechanics and creating friendlier experiences for all types of users". They can't just make RPG games for RPG players, they need to make them for almost every type of gamer. You like Gears? We'll try to fit that in. You like multiplayer? We'll fit that in too. You don't like conversations and text? We'll remove all that stuff.
But in the end, it doesn't really matter. Bioware isn't something anymore, it's just a name for EA to use by attaching unrelated franchises. EA Victory with Command and Conquer is just one of those things. Once the shine and the glossiness has worn off, they'll discard the name and find a new one.
That's why the Kickstarter model is such a refreshing breath a fresh air. Let talented and willing studios make the game they want to make. No business suits, no aggressive marketing department that really wants that COD audience. Make games because you think you can make something good.
Maybe I'm just really bitter and cynical and just plain jaded. It's hard to shake DAII mediocrity and the lows from ME3.
