The epic Dragon Age series kicked off with Dragon Age Origins 13 years ago on the PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware. Fans everywhere of Bioware’s epic have followed along with the divisive Dragon Age 2, and the 2014 Game of the Year Dragon Age Inquisition. It also seems so long ago that we got our first look at the upcoming Dragon Age 4 with a cinematic teaser trailer, and breadcrumbs of what has been going on with development have been sparse, to say the least.
In a recent blogpost on their website, the studio’s General Manager Gary McKay, gave a recent update on the progress of Dragon Age 4’s development.
For the next Dragon Age, we are right in the middle of Production, which is a great feeling. Our blueprint was completed last year, so we’re now focused on building out our vision: creating amazing environments, deep characters, strong gameplay, impactful writing, emotional cinematics – and much more. The blueprint for the game is well understood and the team is focused.
Gary McKay
That’s great news for long time Dragon Age fans, who are clamoring for a return to Bioware’s old values of delivering great story, characters, and emotions fans come to expect. Rumors put the game’s impending release out to the second half of 2023, as industry insider Jeff Grubb says in a recent episode from the podcast Grubbsnax, as well as a commitment to crafting a single-player only campaign with no added multiplayer or “online service” feature.
Mac Walters, an 18 year veteran of Bioware and most recently led developlement on Mass Effect Legendary Edition, is Production Director for Dragon Age 4, Corrine Busche will serve as its Game Director, who was the game’s lead designer until recently, and Benoit Houle is the Director of Product Development, who has worked on every Dragon Age game since Origins. Gary also pledged more routine news and development updates later this year.
Gary also went on to celebrate the successes of Star Wars: The Old Republic, with their most recent expansion Legacy of the Sith.
And last but not least, he mentions Mike Gamble leading the charge on developing the next Mass Effect title with a mix of talented newcomers, as well as seasoned veterans of the series. They are currently prototyping new ideas, concepts, and experiences so don’t expect this game anytime soon. Mike has been involved with the Mass Effect series since the second entry.
While we don’t have anything definitive to see, or watch in the form of a gameplay trailer, nonetheless it should put fans at ease to know it is back on track, and being developed exclusively for current gen hardware.
Excited to step into the world of Thedas once more? Looking forward to staring the Dread Wolf in the face again? Head on over to our Discord channel using the QR code below, or in our Facebook group!
Source: BioWare Blog
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