Dragon Age co-creator David Gaider responds to The Veilguard getting Baldur's Gate 3 comparisons, says Larian's true impact on RPGs won't be felt for "a few more years"
The reason? Ballooning development cycles
A former Dragon Age lead has responded to fans wanting Dragon Age: The Veilguard to have influences from Baldur's Gate 3, explaining that it really isn't that simple.
Earlier today, former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider spoke on the recent Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay reveal, saying that he was "eager to see where this goes." One Twitter user, as seen below, says they were hoping for more of a Dragon Age: Origins-style combat in the new BioWare game, especially after the grand success of Baldur's Gate 3.
Gaider's response below says it really isn't that simple. The veteran developer points out that as development cycles have ballooned to "upwards of five years or more, you're not going to see any direct influence from Baldur's Gate 3 for a few more years yet." We could be waiting at least several more years to see a new RPG heavily influenced by Baldur's Gate 3.
Yeah, considering that the dev cycle of a triple-A game is upwards of 5 years or more (and pivoting mid-way isn't really a thing), you're not going to see any direct influence from BG3 for a few more years yet.June 13, 2024
What's more, it's highly likely that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has actually had a longer development cycle than the five-year period Gaider outlines here. There were reports of the game being rebooted mid-development, including dropping multiplayer elements at one point, pointing to a very lengthy development time for the new BioWare game. It's been a decade since Dragon Age: Inquisition, after all.
In a follow-up tweet, Gaider also points out that, because no one had even an inkling that Baldur's Gate 3 would be as huge and successful as it was, basically no one would have been influenced by Larian's RPG when it launched into early access in 2020.
At long last, the new Dragon Age game is slated to launch later this year across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S consoles. For our impressions after an hour with the upcoming game, read our full Dragon Age: The Veilguard preview.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.