BioWare Sought to Remaster Dragon Age Trilogy, But EA Showed Little Interest
Sophie Laurent 
Key Takeaways
Created with AI - we're still experimenting, so apologies if it misses the mark
- BioWare encountered significant technical challenges in remastering the Dragon Age trilogy due to the games use of different engines and Frostbites exclusive nature for in-house teams at EA.
- EA was reluctant towards remasters, which contributed to their disinterest in the proposal for a Dragon Age remaster.
- The Dragon Age franchise currently faces challenges due to declining sales, negative public feedback, and internal team conflicts, positioning it at a critical juncture following a prolonged development cycle.
- Both the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises have faced similar issues, with their fourth installments not meeting expectations, leaving the future direction of Mass Effect 5 and the handling of the Andromeda series uncertain among fans and former developers alike.
BioWare Faced Challenges in Pitching Dragon Age Remaster to EA due to Tech Hurdles and Staff Limitations
Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah recently revealed that BioWare pitched Electronic Arts (EA) on remastering the first three Dragon Age games. In an interview with YouTuber MrMattyPlays, Darrah explained that EA generally does not favor remasters, which contributed to the publisher’s disinterest in the proposal. Darrah, who left BioWare in 2022 but returned as a consultant for Dragon Age: Veilguard, provided these insights. BioWare had previously enhanced the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, but remastering the original Dragon Age trilogy presented a greater technical challenge. Unlike Mass Effect, which utilized Unreal Engine, the Dragon Age games were built on distinct engines: Eclipse for Origins, Lycium for II, and Frostbite for Inquisition. While outsourcing much of the work was technically possible, Darrah noted that few BioWare staff were dedicated to the effort. Frostbite, developed by DICE for the Battlefield series, became EA’s standard technology but remained exclusive to their in-house team, complicating external development.
Challenges Persist for Dragon Age Franchise Amid Funding Constraints and Declining Sales
Despite the technical hurdles, BioWare believed a remaster was feasible with external assistance. Darrah recalled BioWare’s internal discussions, which included ideas like creating specific tools for Frostbite and engaging a skilled modding company to overhaul Dragon Age: Origins. However, EA responded that any such project would need to be funded from BioWare’s existing budget. According to Darrah, this was not a viable option, as those funds were already allocated to other ongoing projects. The Dragon Age franchise currently faces significant challenges. Dragon Age: Veilguard received positive critical reviews, but its sales quickly declined due to negative public feedback and controversial online clips. This downturn has positioned the franchise in a difficult spot, particularly as many view it as a critical juncture following a prolonged development cycle, staff turnover, internal team conflicts, and multiple reboots. Curiously, both the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises now share a similar trajectory: each has a highly regarded original trilogy followed by a fourth installment that did not meet expectations. The future direction of Mass Effect 5 and how the Andromeda series will be handled remains a subject of ongoing discussion among fans and former developers alike.
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| Specification | |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Dragon Age: Origins |
| Brief Summary | Set in the fictional kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the game puts the player in the role of a warrior, mage, or rogue coming from an elven, human, or dwarven background. The player character is recruited into the Grey Wardens, an ancient order that stands against monstrous forces known as Darkspawn, and is tasked with defeating the Archdemon that commands them and ending their invasion.
Dragon Age: Origins is a third-person role-playing game described as a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights franchises. Players create their own character by customizing gender and appearance as well as choosing a race and class. Combat is in real time with the ability to pause at any moment: tactical options include an editor which allows the player to give the AI detailed instructions on how to behave in every possible situation. Although the main storyline is the same for every character created, the game features six unique prologues, two for each race. Dragon Age: Origins received critical acclaim upon release, with praise mostly directed at its story, setting, characters, music and combat system. |
| Platforms | Xbox 360, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Mac |
| Released | November 3, 2009 |
| Genre | Role-playing (RPG) |
| Play Modes | Single player |
| Content Rating | 19+ |
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Genre | BioWare Edmonton |
| Genre | Electronic Arts |
| Ratings | 88/100 (1518 reviews) |
About the Author
Bruno Pferd 
Jonathan Dubinski 
Marcus Thompson 
