No, romance is not a huge factor, and if that were ever true, I would weep for the future of gaming. It is a fun side plot at the most. People buy the game for the actual game itself. If DA:I,s combat was terrible, or the voice acting was bland and monotonous, or the skill progression was boring, or if there were a lot of game breaking bugs, or if the game world was just plain ugly and boring to explore...those would detract sales.
Taking the romance options out of the game would affect sales so minutely, that they wouldn't even notice. Anyone, and I mean anyone, who buys a freaking game so that they can romanticly pursue one of these characters, rather than as something to do to pass the time when not killing dragons, needs to get a life. Seriously.
I hate saying something so harsh, but it's true.
I agree and disagree
Obviously everone plays games for different reasons, gameplay, progression,
However you have to factor that many players factor in Role playing into their experience. Bioware Games (Dragon age especially) is one of the best games where you can role play a character a certain way and the game actually gives you the tools to do so.
An example, i want to play a Dalish Elf who, loves the Dalish and wants to see a postive future in the dalish. Through dialogue.. i can do that. Romances add the emersion to be part of the world, though they are optional. Would there be little backlash from no romances? Hard to say, i feel the community is huge on them. I feel Dragon age would lose a part of what makes Dragon age.. well Dragon age.
An example
Skyrim is like a blank Canvas, youre given the paint to draw, however whoever you want paint the image is all in your imagination.
You define how you want to replay through imagination and elements not programed into the game. You want to be a Azura worshipper? You have to define that yourself by adapting and/or restricting your own gameplay. You want to be a High elf that hates Nords? You have to actively have to "kill" the nords or whatever.
Dragon age (and its previous games) are like a set of pictures that are already defined but YOU have to do the colouring between the black lines. After you colour the first image the way you want, you receive a second picture (which changes based on how your first picture was colored), you paint it the way you want, then the cycle continues.
to put simply
Dragon Age is a Role Playing that is focused on defining your character.
Skyrim is a playground where you have to use your imagination to get the most of of the role playing experience.