It's wild to think that next year marks 10 years since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition. BioWare's fantasy series means a great deal to me, so it's only natural that I'm among the many fans out there who've been eagerly anticipating a new entry since the launch of the last DLC, Trespasser. The stellar expansion left me with many unanswered questions that I've been excited to see answered in the next instalment.
Now, almost nine years on, those questions still hang in the air, and with EA indirectly confirming that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's release is at least a year away, the wait looks set to continue to stretch on into 2024 at the very least. I completely understand the disappointment among the community and I'm just as desperate to return to Thedas as the next person, but I'm also happy to keep on waiting until it's ready. Let's face it, if I'm willing to hold out this long for anything, it's Dragon Age 4.
But the news has also brought concerns surrounding the development of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf back to the surface, with many calling for more communication from the studio. Such concerns aren't entirely unfounded – part of me does wonder if we'll see an update on the game as we approach the summer showcase season – but I still have a lot of hope this will be worth waiting for.
The Dreadwolf rises
I can't stop thinking about who we might be in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf
I'm certainly not alone in this sentiment that at this stage, I'm happy to keep on waiting until Dragon Age 4 has the time it needs. In truth, given that we still don't really know all that much about Dragon Age: Dreadwolf – beyond its title, the return of Solas, and some blog posts updates that gave us a look at some design features – I didn't expect it to land this year. While we have yet to get a concrete release date, it is understandable that there's some frustration at this updated pipeline.
Previous claims pointed towards a possible launch in 2023, with BioWare then revealing that Dreadwolf had reached the alpha stage. This, coupled with the release of the animated series Dragon Age: Absolution and the prequel comic The Missing, it really did feel like everything was gearing up to bring us closer than ever to the launch of Dreadwolf. But of course, the hopes that were raised have seemingly been dashed with the latest EA financial report.
Looking at the bigger picture, this also comes after a long news cycle surrounding the game's development, which has seen many changes, team departures, and very little in the way of big concrete details since it was first officially revealed with a teaser all the way back in 2018. From reportedly ditching live service elements following Anthem to the creative director – among others – parting ways with the project, there have been some initial fears that the project has been on an uncertain development path.
Then came a supposed gameplay leak that left fans divided, but since we have yet to see official footage beyond some screenshots and very brief glimpses, there's no way of confirming the leak is legitimate. Of course, we also can't be sure of the full story of what happened behind the scenes, but it does only make me all the more curious to see how Dragon Age: Dreadwolf shapes up when it's ready to be shown properly for the first time.
Still, even with some departures, recent news revealed that some members of the Mass Effect 5 team and former series lead Mark Darrah have been brought on board to help bring Dreadwolf to the finish line. There's a great team working hard on the project, and with a focus on single-player, the return of Solas as the antagonist, and news that it will have a non-linear skill tree, the little breadcrumbs of information are already enough to get me excited about what lies ahead, and it brings me hope that the long wait will be worth it in the end.
A big gap between releases is certainly not unique to the Dragon Age series. I mean just look at the likes of GTA 6 and Elder Scrolls 6, with the latter still being very far off with the approaching release of Starfield. I certainly would love to get some kind of update on the game in the months to come, if even to give fans an idea of how it's shaping in terms of its progress. But I can't even begin to imagine how much pressure there must be to bring to life the next instalment of a beloved series, especially with all the considerations that must come into play when there's such a big gap in time since Inquisition landed.
Maybe we won't be seeing Dragon Age: Dreadwolf this year, and my questions won't be answered anytime soon, but I'm prepared to keep on waiting if it means I can someday return to a world I love.
Looking forward to the next GTA? Well, our very own Joe Donnelly asked a psychic leading questions about the GTA 6 release date, and it was wonderfully weird.
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