Dragon Age 4 was actually showcased at EA Play Live 2020, if only very briefly and passingly. The focus of the show was squarely on Star Wars: Squadrons and a few other announcements such as the new EA Originals and Skate 4, but EA Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele also took a few minutes to discuss ongoing projects at DICE, Criterion (Need for Speed) and BioWare.
Of the latter developer’s project, she said:
BioWare imagines and creates worlds where you become the hero of your own story. They are using next-generation technology to make these fantasy worlds your reality.
While she spoke, Dragon Age 4 was showcased through three gorgeous (albeit ‘work-in-progress’) images. These new screenshots sparked speculation on the game’s themes. While one depicts a haunting forest at night, the other two will immediately be recognized by franchise fans as the locations are filled with red lyrium.
A refresher from the Dragon Age lore will remind you that red lyrium is a more powerful and more addictive form of lyrium that has been corrupted by the Blight. This latter tidbit is quite important as it underlines that red lyrium is alive in some way, which explains how it could infect not only people but landscapes as well.
From a plot standpoint, Dragon Age 4 could therefore be centered around the thinning of the Veil and the implied danger for all of Thedas to be at the mercy of all kinds of demons and spirits from the Fade realm, though of course that is merely speculation at this point in time.
The next installment in the fantasy IP was first teased in December 2018, at that year’s The Game Awards, with a brief video that ended with the phrase ‘I expect you have questions’ and the tagline #TheDreadWolfRises.
Those who have completed Dragon Age: Inquisition know that reference to be about Solas, or rather Fen’Harel, the elven god of rebellion, who disguised himself as a companion to the Inquisitor before revealing his plans to restore the glory of the elven people at all costs.
Dragon Age 4 is ‘probably’ coming out at some point in the fiscal year 2023, according to publisher Electronic Arts. EA’s fiscal years are +1 to the actual calendar year, though, which means that the game could release in 2022 if everything goes according to plan. About nine months ago, BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson suggested work on the project was going well, though with the disappointment created by Anthem the studio will want to ensure everything is in order before releasing its next game.
The upside is that it should be a fully next-gen experience, unbound by the shackles of the former console generation. Hopefully, that’ll translate into the first true open world Dragon Age game.
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