Dragon Age 4: What we know so far about the Bioware role-playing game
The sequel to Inquisition is currently in development. We collect all the info on story, setting and release.
For six years, Dragon Age fans have been eagerly awaiting a sequel to the legendary role-playing game series. And by all appearances we will have to wait a while longer, Bioware announced that there is no show planned for Dragon Age 4 in 2021 – the developer studio is not showing anything at the next EA Play either.
What is already known about Dragon Age 4?
What is the name of the new Dragon Age?
The official title is not yet known, for simplicity’s sake we’ll call it Dragon Age 4. The first teaser was published under the tag “The Dread Wolf Rises”, a connection to the new name would be conceivable. After all, the predecessor was not called Dragon Age 3, but Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Are there already trailers for Dragon Age 4?
The first real trailer for Dragon Age 4 was shown at the Game Awards 2020, in which old acquaintances also appeared: Varric is once again the narrator, Solas appears at the end and scowls into the camera. We also learn that we will again embody a new hero. However, there were no game scenes to be seen yet.
Dragon Age 4: The first cinematic trailer
At gamescom 2020, Bioware allowed a look behind the scenes. Little is revealed in the video, but you can at least see some artwork and the development team behind Dragon Age 4:
What does concept art reveal now?
Producer Christian Dailey shares official artwork on Twitter: he apologises to fans who have been waiting a long time for real news about the game. Despite having nothing to show at EA Play 2021, the team is making great progress. More will be shared when the time is right.
As a small consolation, there was another concept artwork showing more of Tevinter. It features crows from Antiva, a powerful spy organisation that has only been mentioned in passing in the games so far.
They are clearly recognisable by their sleek black armour, beaked helmets and crest at the bottom right of the image. You can read more about the faction in the next paragraph (What do the short stories reveal?). The city in the background should be Minrathous, the capital of the decadent empire.
Characters appear in the stories who have only been mentioned in passing: Tarquin, who narrowly survived an attack by the Dark Brood and was only mentioned in a code entry in Inquisition. Andarateia Cantori, a leader of the “Crows of Antiva”, notorious for her assassins, thieves and spies. The Master Assassin Illario, also a member of the Crows and a character in the official novel “Tevinter Nights”.
Who are the Crows of Antiva? Also known as the House of Crows, an organisation of assassins and spies that was once part of the Church. They are not afraid to use hidden knives and insidious poisons, but still follow a strict code of honour: agreements must be kept at all costs.
The most famous crow is probably Zevran from Origins. In Inquisition, you may have encountered a member who had it in for Josephine. So far, we have only met a few members and have never had direct contact with the organisation, although it is one of the most powerful players in the struggle for power in Thedas.
That we will also meet these characters in the game is becoming more and more likely, after all, crows are seen on official concept art. The mysterious faction will probably play an important role this time – whether as an enemy or an ally remains to be seen.
Who is developing Dragon Age 4?
Publishers Electronic Arts and the developer studio Bioware, who were also responsible for the three predecessors, are once again behind the development. However, the team has changed a lot in the meantime after many veterans left Bioware. Most recently, General Manager Casey Hudson and Creative Director Mark Darrah also announced their departure.
With Dragon Age 4, the struggling developer Bioware desperately needs a success again. Is Live Service the solution? Editor Peter asks himself this in his column.
What is known about the gameplay of Dragon Age 4?
Originally, Dragon Age 4 was supposed to have a strong focus on live service and multiplayer elements. But after the end of Anthem 2.0, publisher EA rowed back and announced that the next part of the series will be a pure single player experience again.
It is not yet known whether it will be based more on the classic role-playing game Origins or the more action-packed Inquisition.
Apparently, the three classic roles are returning:
Warrior
Rogue
Mage
Appropriately, official artwork has already been released, which also shows the style of Dragon Age 4:
Mage
Rogue
When will Dragon Age 4 be released?
No official release date has been announced yet. According to EA, the next Dragon Age will not be released before the second quarter of 2022. The development could also be delayed by the Corona restrictions, so we think a release from 2023 onwards is realistic.
Elena explains why you should use the waiting time to play the controversial Dragon Age 2 in her column:
Which platforms will Dragon Age 4 be released on?
.
An official announcement on which platforms you can play Dragon Age 4 is still pending. However, a release on PC, PlayStation 5 as well as Xbox Series X is to be expected. Whether Xbox One and PS4 will still get a version at release remains to be seen. Since the next Dragon Age is once again being published by EA, it will most likely be released on EA Play Pro, the gaming subscription formerly known as Origin Access. Since EA’s games have found their way back onto Steam, a release there is also to be expected.
