That’s as per Jon Epler, creative director on The Veilguard, who said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone that though he would “love” to see a remastered collection of the first three Dragon Age titles similar to 2021’s Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, it would be a much more “challenging” project due to engine-related issues.

Specifically, unlike the original Mass Effect trilogy – which was built entirely on the flexibility and developer-friendly Unreal Engine – the first three Dragon Age titles were not only built on different engines – with BioWare’s internal Eclipse Engine used for Origins and 2, and EA’s Frostbite for Inquisition – those engines are also more complicated to work with, especially for a remastered collection meant to bring all three games together.

Either way, Epler says you shouldn’t completely discount the possibility regardless.

“I think I’m one of about maybe 20 people left at BioWare who’s actually used Eclipse,” he said. “It’s something that’s not going to be as easy Mass Effect, but we do love the original games. Never say never, I guess that’s what it comes down to.”

Meanwhile, Epler has also confirmed that BioWare has no plans for post-launch DLC for The Veilguard, with BioWare now shifting its full focus to the next Mass Effect as its main project. Read more on that through here.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

BioWare GM Gary McKay recently published a blog update in which he confirmed that all future work on Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to be handled entirely by Broadsword Online, BioWare’s development part on the MMORPG. That, as per McKay, is part of BioWare’s renewed focus on crafting “immersive, emotionally charged, single player games”, with the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises at the core of those efforts.

“As we look toward the future, BioWare is focused on being a leader in developing immersive, emotionally charged, single-player games, with teams primarily in Austin and Edmonton,” McKay wrote. “This means a renewed focus on our two key franchises: Dragon Age and Mass Effect.”

New instalments are in the works for both franchises, as we’ve known for a while. McKay says BioWare is continuing to “build, polish, and tune” Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (which, interestingly, was originally supposed to feature multiplayer and live service elements), and will have more to share on the long-awaited sequel “soon”. Meanwhile, the next Mass Effect game is still in pre-production.

In a recent tweet, insider Tom Henderson tweeted a GIF of a fire-breathing dragon with the words “Dreadwolf. 7 PM CET.” This was followed by a GIF of Matt Damon from Saving Private Ryan as he ages into an old man. It’s all kind of cryptic but Henderson finally said, “I hate teasing… But have to sometimes lol.”

“Combine the GIFs. Don’t expect anything ‘huge’ per se, but an announcement is nEAring.” What’s the meaning behind the capital “EA”? Is the next Dragon Age going into early access? Will its official name and platforms finally be revealed? Has there been a delay, despite reports of the game being in “very good shape” and on track to release by late 2023?

We’ll need to wait till later today for more details, if they’re indeed coming. Stay tuned in the meantime.

Dreadwolf.

19:00 CET. pic.twitter.com/RHei6FIaPw

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 2, 2022

pic.twitter.com/QEnO4o8I2X

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 2, 2022

I hate teasing… But have to sometimes lol.

Combine the GIF's. Don't expect anything "huge" per se, but an announcement is nEAring.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 2, 2022

The same was confirmed in a blog post on BioWare’s official website, with general manager Gary McKay writing, “As we continue our journey, we wanted to wish Christian Dailey a heartfelt farewell from BioWare. Christian started with us back in 2018 and has been a big influence on our games and leadership team, most recently as Executive Producer over Dragon Age’s development. The games industry is ever-changing though and sometimes folks want to go and try new things – we understand, but we will miss him as a friend and as a colleague.”

In November of last year, meanwhile, it was also confirmed that Dragon Age 4’s creative director Matt Goldman had left the project and the studio as well. Now, it’s been confirmed that Corinne Busche – an EA veteran who has been at the company for 15 years – has taken his place. Busche shared the news on her Twitter page as well, while McKay wrote in the aforementioned blog: “Corrine Busche, who has been leading the design direction for Dragon Age, is our Game Director. She has a wealth of experience, including 15 years at EA, and a passion for the franchise.”

Meanwhile, Mac Walters has been confirmed as the game’s production director. Walters has been involved in a number of major BioWare projects over the years, having been a writer on Jade Empire and Mass Effect, the lead writer on Mass Effect 2 and 3, the creative director on Mass Effect: Andromeda, the narrative director on Anthem, and the project director on last year’s Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Meanwhile, Benoit Houle, who has been at BioWare for over 16 years, is the game’s director of product development.

In the same blog update, McKay also said that Dragon Age 4 is currently “right in the middle of production”, and that more details on the game will be shared later this year. Read more on that through here.

As for when the RPG will launch, while there’s no official word on that front yet, reports have suggested that the game will release in late 2023.

https://twitter.com/CorinneBusche/status/1496596410388598790

First announced at The Game Awards 2018, it’s had several trailers but no real gameplay or even an official name. According to insider Tom Henderson on Twitter, who spoke to a “source with knowledge of EA’s plans”, “There’s ‘no chance’ that Dragon Age 4 will release in 2022.” EA has previously said it doesn’t expect to release it before fiscal year 2023, which begins on April 1st 2022.

But this seemingly means it could be delayed to fiscal year 2024, if not releasing before March 31st 2023. Both would fit with the rumored 2023 release that journalist Jeff Grubb said it’s on track for. Time will tell but either way, don’t hold your breath. BioWare has noted that the development team was hard at work and “excited for next year” so we could receive some new details in the coming months.

A source with knowledge of EA's plans has said there's "no chance" that Dragon Age 4 will release in 2022. pic.twitter.com/gFgBYvBmET

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) January 20, 2022

In a blog update published by BioWare GM Gary McKay, while looking ahead to what lies ahead for the developer in 2022 and beyond, McKay said provided a brief development update on both projects, saying: “We remain hard at work on the next iterations of Dragon Age and Mass Effect. I’m seeing some incredible work from both teams.”

McKay reiterated that the next Dragon Age game is going to be a purely single player experience, and added that the game is going to be “built on choices that matter.” The next Mass Effect, meanwhile, showed off a teaser poster a couple of months ago, and McKay says it’s hiding “at least five surprises” that “point to an amazing future in the Mass Effect universe.”

Recently, it also emerged that the next Mass Effect game is being on Unreal Engine 5, as opposed to the Frostbite engine, which has been a problematic toolset for BioWare over the last few years. It doesn’t look like the same is true of Dragon Age though.

On the Dragon Age front, the project’s creative director Matt Goldman recently left BioWare, though reports have indicated that the RPG is on track for a launch in 2023– and that it won’t be releasing for old-gen consoles whenever it launches.

In an email sent by BioWare to its staff, the developer revealed that Goldman has left the studio, with the two parties “mutually agreeing to part ways”, although there’s no mention of what brought about this departure. Goldman first joined BioWare in 1998. In his first stint at the studio, which lasted over seven years, he worked on Baldur’s Gate and Jade Empire. He rejoined in 2009, following which he worked on every game in the Dragon Age series, and was also involved in the development of Mass Effect: Andromeda.

In the aforementioned email, BioWare GM Gary McKay admitted that Goldman’s departure could have an impact on the game’s development, but insisted that it remains committed to delivering a quality experience. The email reads: “We understand that Matt’s departure has an impact on you, as well as the game’s development. Rest assured our commitment to a high-quality Dragon Age game has not waivered, and we will not ship a game that is not up to BioWare’s standards.

“We, including EA’s executive team, have absolute confidence in the leadership here at the studio and the people working on this game to carry forward our vision.”

Meanwhile, an EA representative also confirmed Goldman’s departure in a statement provided to Kotaku, saying: “Matt Goldman is no longer working at BioWare. He leaves the next Dragon Age game in excellent hands, with the team here at the studio who will carry forward our vision for the game.”

Goldman is far from the only high profile development lead to have left the Dragon Age team in the last couple of years. In 2019, lead producer Fernando Melo left BioWare, while in late 2020, the Dragon Age series’ executive producer Mark Darrah left the studio as well.

Details on Dragon Age 4 have been scant, even though it’s now been three years since the game was officially confirmed to be in development. Earlier this year, Christian Dailey, studio head at BioWare Austin, said that the game’s development was “making great progress”, and reports have said since then that the game is on track for a 2023 launch. It’s also been reported that the RPG will not be a cross-gen release, instead releasing only for PC and new-gen consoles.

Dailey recently took to Twitter and, after wishing everyone a happy Halloween, shared some new (and appropriately spooky) concept art from the next Dragon Age game. His message was brief, as you’d expect, and didn’t say much about the game, other than “all is well.”

That said, some details on Dragon Age 4 have been made known over the months. The Tevinter Imperium has been confirmed as the game’s setting, while reports have also suggested that following a mid-production change of heart, BioWare dropped plans for multiplayer and switched the project to be an exclusively single player RPG. Read more on that through here.

In a message shared in July, Dailey said that Dragon Age 4’s development was “making great progress”. Shortly afterward, reports claimed that the game was on track for a 2023 launch. It also seems like it won’t be a cross-gen release, and will be launching only for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

https://twitter.com/ChristianDailey/status/1454194215290908682

According to the BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development book, Dragon Age 4 (or whatever it ends up being called) will be set in Tevinter. BioWare indicated as much with the ending to Dragon Age: Inquisition – Trespasser, not to mention with the short story collection Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights. But as Eurogamer notes, this is perhaps the first official confirmation of the location.

Other locations are also seemingly teased in the book including what seems to Antiva City and an Antivan Crow, described as an assassin that’s “celebrated for their mastery of stylish slaying.” Along with a mask and sword, the Antivan Crow also has actual crows helping it out. A Mourn Watch is also seen – these figures “guard Thedas from occult threats” and reside in necropolises. So it’s possible that Nevarra, which has necropolises and is located to the South of Tevinter, could also be included.

Treasure-hunting guild The Lords of Fortune is also shown – it was founded in Rivain, which is northeast to Tevinter. Finally, there’s The Deep Roads which are a series of tunnels that run throughout the world. Again, while these locations aren’t outright confirmed, their vicinity to Tevinter and inclusion in the book makes them highly likely.

Dragon Age 4 received a new trailer of sorts at The Game Awards 2020 but its platforms and release date are still unknown. Last month saw the departure of executive producer Mark Darrah from BioWare, though he’s still listed in the book as such. The project is now being led by Christian Dailey, studio head of BioWare Austin.

Other than a couple of very vague teasers and some very early behind-the-scenes footage, BioWare haven’t really shown much of Dragon Age 4, which is particularly frustrating for series fans given how frequently they’ve talked about the game since they first teased it over two years ago. It’s still going to be a long time before the game launches- but it seems BioWare is going to keep on teasing bits and pieces until then.

Recently, Christian Dailey, head of BioWare Austin who recently took over as executive producer on Dragon Age 4 following the departure of Mark Darrah, took to Twitter to share some New Years greetings with everyone. The message was also accompanied with more new concept art for Dragon Age 4, showing an archer ready to fire off a rather fancy looking bow. Interestingly enough, the game’s visual style seems to evoke more of an Anthem aesthetic than a Dragon Age one… though that might just be me. Check it out below.

Dragon Age 4 has no announced launch window, or platforms, or even a confirmed name. EA have said that the game won’t be coming out any time before April 2022, at the very earliest.

https://twitter.com/ChristianDailey/status/1347380810093977601