Dragon Age: Inquisition
News, coverage and analysis tracking Dragon Age: Inquisition across the outlets.
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Mass Effect 5 was named Universe partly because it let players generate alternate timelines based on their choices in previous entries, technical director says
Romain Toutain, franchise technical director at BioWare, revealed that the internal title Mass Effect Universe was considered for Mass Effect 5 partly due to a system that allowed players to generate alternate timelines based on their choices from previous games. This ambitious feature aimed to give players "absolute autonomy" by creating branching narratives and even generating content to ensure mission completion, though it was complex to implement. The article also touches on the leaked internal trailer for the game and the studio's shutdown.
BioWare's incredible legacy will continue as long as there are RPGs
This article reflects on the significant legacy of BioWare, a studio that has profoundly influenced the RPG genre with titles like Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age. Despite acknowledging BioWare's own missteps and the detrimental impact of corporate decisions, the author emphasizes the enduring impact of its innovative design choices, storytelling, and representation in games, suggesting its influence will persist as long as RPGs are made.
BioWare's end is a tragically familiar tale | Opinion
This opinion piece laments the decline and effective closure of BioWare, attributing its downfall to over a decade of mismanagement by Electronic Arts and the broader industry trend of chasing live service models. The author highlights the contrast between BioWare's past successes and its recent failures, arguing that private equity buyouts exacerbate these issues by prioritizing cost-cutting over creative stability.
BioWare Is Finished – Where Did It All Go Wrong?
BioWare, a historically influential role-playing game studio, has officially closed down, with Electronic Arts restructuring the studio and laying off developers. The article reflects on the studio's past successes like Baldur's Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, while also acknowledging its recent failures with Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, attributing the decline to unsustainable development practices and EA's alleged mismanagement.
Farewell BioWare, you inspired so many of us, and you deserved so much better than this
BioWare, the acclaimed developer behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Baldur's Gate, has been closed by Electronic Arts. The studio's closure follows a history of critical and commercial disappointments like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, despite its significant contributions to the RPG genre. The article laments the loss of a studio that shaped industry trends and created deeply emotional experiences for players.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed because EA demanded yearly releases from BioWare and pushed senior devs to Anthem, says…
Former BioWare lead Mark Darrah attributes the commercial failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to Electronic Arts' demand for yearly releases and the strain placed on senior developers by projects like Anthem. Darrah explained that constant deadline shifts and a lack of long-term project oversight prevented the team from adequately developing the game, leading to its muted reception.
Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah explains what he'd change about each game: 'It's kind of…
Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah shared his thoughts on what he would change about each game in the series. He suggested reducing or cutting the dream sequence in Dragon Age: Origins, addressing the forced conflict in Dragon Age 2, and streamlining the open-world bloat in Dragon Age: Inquisition. For the upcoming Dragon Age: Veilguard, he proposed adding the Keep.
Warlock is "fundamentally a linear story," Wizards of the Coast says
Wizards of the Coast and Invoke have stated that their upcoming Dungeons and Dragons title, Warlock, will feature a fundamentally linear story, contrasting with the player agency seen in games like Baldur's Gate 3. While set in an open world, the narrative will focus on a pre-written campaign for the character Kaatri, with no branching paths or morality system. This approach is intended to deliver a strong narrative experience, with Invoke's VP Dominic Guay emphasizing that the core campaign outcomes are set.
Diablo 5's narrative lead is a BioWare vet who says the new caravan system gives the ARPG the "best elements of traditional RPGs" like Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate
Diablo 5 will feature a new caravan system instead of traditional towns, inspired by BioWare veteran Jennifer Hepler's experience with games like Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate. Hepler, Diablo 5's narrative director, stated this system brings traditional RPG elements to the ARPG formula, allowing interaction with followers who have personalities.
Former Dragon Age lead says Baldur's Gate 3 studio Larian is taking a "risk" by making Divinity right after its 2023 RPG hit, but he applauds the devs for it
Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah believes Larian Studios is taking a calculated risk by focusing on a new Divinity game immediately after the success of Baldur's Gate 3. He applauds Larian's strategy of focusing on one project at a time, contrasting it with BioWare's past issues of juggling multiple series.
EA selling BioWare and Mass Effect would be the best news ever - Reader's Feature
A reader expresses concern over Electronic Arts' financial situation and its potential impact on BioWare and the Mass Effect franchise. The author suggests that EA selling BioWare would be beneficial, allowing the studio to regain independence and potentially revive the Mass Effect series, which they believe is unlikely to continue under EA's current management due to financial pressures.
BioWare veteran says Baldur's Gate 3 was such a great sequel because it didn't try to be too much like…
BioWare veteran Mark Darrah believes Baldur's Gate 3 succeeded because Larian Studios embraced its own identity while drawing inspiration from the original games and the evolution of CRPGs. He suggests that instead of trying to replicate the past, Larian's unique approach, blending elements of Divinity: Original Sin, made Baldur's Gate 3 a standout sequel that overshadowed its predecessors.
An All-Digital Future Isn’t The Only Threat To Video Game Preservation
Dragon Age creator Mark Darrah explains that remasters of the first three Dragon Age games are unlikely due to a lack of developers familiar with BioWare's proprietary Aurora engine. This contrasts with the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, which benefited from using the more common Unreal Engine. Darrah also reveals his past plans for a "Champion's Edition" trilogy, which were hampered by studio layoffs and internal disagreements at BioWare.
If you bounced off Baldur's Gate 3: now is the time to try again
This article discusses the author's initial negative experience with Baldur's Gate 3, citing its complexity and D&D jargon. After a second playthrough, influenced by watching cast members play D&D, the author found a deeper appreciation for the game's freedom, character depth, and its impact on popular culture and video game acting.
Dragon Age's former producer had envisioned a 'Champions Edition' equivalent to Mass Effect's Legendary Edition, but he doesn't think it will happen anymore: 'There are basically no companies that could help you'
Former Dragon Age producer Mark Darrah believes a "Champion's Edition" remaster for the Dragon Age series is unlikely due to technical challenges. Unlike the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, which benefited from using the consistent Unreal Engine, the Dragon Age games were built on different, now poorly understood, proprietary engines. Darrah suggests that EA's reluctance to form new teams for such projects further diminishes the possibility of a remaster.
Another BioWare veteran steps forth to say a Dragon Age remaster isn't impossible, but that doesn't mean it will happen: "In no means a trivial exercise"
BioWare co-founder Trent Oster believes that remastering the original Dragon Age games is possible, though it would be a complex undertaking. However, Mark Darrah, who co-directed Dragon Age: Origins, expressed skepticism, citing a lack of current BioWare staff familiar with the old engine and publisher Electronic Arts' tendency to keep IPs dormant.
"Basically no one at BioWare" knows how Dragon Age works anymore, says studio veteran, so don't expect a remaster like Mass Effect's even if one would sell "super well"
Former BioWare director Mark Darrah stated that a remaster of the original Dragon Age trilogy is unlikely due to significant technical challenges and a lack of studio expertise with the older engines. Unlike the Mass Effect trilogy, which used Unreal Engine, the Dragon Age games utilize outdated proprietary engines that few at BioWare understand anymore. Despite potential sales success, especially after the popularity of Baldur's Gate 3, the development hurdles and the underwhelming performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard make such a project improbable.
A Dragon Age Trilogy remaster probably won't happen as no one still employed at BioWare knows how the engine works, claims producer
Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah stated that a remaster of the original Dragon Age trilogy is unlikely because current employees lack knowledge of the proprietary Aurora engine used for Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. Unlike the Mass Effect trilogy, which used Unreal Engine and was successfully remastered, Dragon Age's older engine makes such a project technically challenging and costly for Electronic Arts. Despite these hurdles, Darrah believes a remaster would still sell well.
"Dragon Age: Origins wasn’t the most attractive game": BioWare's old series producer still thinks a DA remaster trilogy is worth it, but the knowhow isn't there
Former Dragon Age producer Mark Darrah believes a remaster trilogy of the original games would sell well, but acknowledges the technical challenges. He cites the proprietary Eclipse and Lycium engines used in the early titles, contrasting them with the more industry-standard Unreal Engine used for Mass Effect. Darrah also notes that expertise on these older BioWare engines is scarce within the company and externally, making such a project difficult to undertake.
BioWare Lost The Knowledge Needed To Remaster Dragon Age, Former Producer Says
Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah stated that a remaster of the Dragon Age trilogy is unlikely because the studio has lost the necessary institutional knowledge to work with the original games' engines. Unlike the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, which benefited from the common Unreal Engine 3, the Dragon Age games utilized proprietary engines for which few, if any, developers at BioWare remain knowledgeable. This comes amidst reports of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's poor commercial performance and potential future sale of BioWare by Electronic Arts.
