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The Dragon Age series has long stood as one of BioWare’s most ambitious and beloved RPG franchises. From the tactical depth of Origins (2009), the controversial but narratively rich Dragon Age II (2011), to the sprawling semi-open world of Inquisition (2014), the trilogy carved out a unique space in fantasy gaming. Each entry offered distinct gameplay systems, engines, and narrative tones, making the idea of a unified remastered trilogy both exciting and technically daunting.
Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah recently revealed that the studio pitched a remastered trilogy to EA, even proposing a retroactive rebrand called The Champion’s Trilogy. The goal? To modernize the original games, reintroduce fans to Thedas, and potentially relaunch the franchise with renewed momentum.
EA’s Reluctance: Why the Pitch Was Rejected
Despite BioWare’s enthusiasm, EA reportedly rejected the idea multiple times. Darrah explained that EA has a general aversion to remasters, viewing them as backward-looking investments. Unlike Mass Effect, which runs on Unreal Engine and saw commercial success with its Legendary Edition, Dragon Age presents more complex challenges:
- Engine Fragmentation: Origins and Dragon Age II were built on BioWare’s internal Eclipse engine, while Inquisition transitioned to Frostbite. Few developers at BioWare today are familiar with Eclipse.
- Gameplay Disparity: Each game in the trilogy plays differently—CRPG, action-RPG, and hybrid—which complicates efforts to unify them under one remastered umbrella.
- Commercial Viability: EA may see Dragon Age as less marketable than Mass Effect, especially after the mixed reception of The Veilguard.
Enter The Veilguard: A New Chapter, A New Identity
Released on October 31, 2024, Dragon Age: The Veilguard marked a bold departure from its predecessors. Originally titled Dreadwolf, the game centers on Rook, a customizable protagonist tasked with stopping Solas—the elven trickster god—from destroying the Veil and unleashing chaos.
🧙♂️ Story Highlights
- Act I: Signs and Portents – The Veilguard assembles to counter Solas and the rising threat of the elven gods.
- Act II: The Price of the Past – The team grapples with loss and betrayal, uncovering divine conspiracies and ancient magic.
- Act III: The Wrath of Ages – A climactic battle against Ghilan’nain and Elgar’nan, with Rook navigating the Fade to prevent a second apocalypse.
The game features seven companions, each with deep backstories and romance options. Unlike previous entries, players cannot directly control companions in combat, but can influence their growth through relationship dynamics.
Despite EA’s lukewarm stance on the franchise, The Veilguard was a technical triumph:
- Engine: Built on Frostbite with full DX12 support, ray tracing, DLSS, and FSR.
- Optimization: Smooth performance across mid-to-high-end systems, with no major stuttering or crashes reported.
- Visuals: Highly detailed character models, rich environments, and dynamic lighting make it one of the best-looking PC games of 2024.
However, commercially, The Veilguard underperformed relative to EA’s expectations. While it reached 1.5 million players by year-end and won several awards—including Game of the Year at the Gayming Awards—it didn’t reignite the franchise in the way EA had hoped.
With BioWare now shifting focus to the next Mass Effect, the future of Dragon Age remains uncertain. The studio’s desire to remaster the trilogy reflects a deep respect for its legacy and a belief in its enduring value. But unless EA changes its stance, fans may never see Origins, Dragon Age II, and Inquisition reborn for modern platforms.
Still, as creative director John Epler said: “Never say never.” BioWare loves the original games, and the success of The Veilguard—despite its hurdles—proves that Thedas still has stories worth telling.
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