BioWarehas had a bumpy few years, to say the least. With releases likeDragon Age, Mass Effect, and several big RPGs before those, the company was looked at as the golden standard for epic storytelling in immersive and companion-oriented RPGs. The release ofMass Effect: Andromedasullied that reputation, andAnthemall but put the nail in the coffin.
Since then, it’s been an upward climb, but it is trending upward.Mass Effect: Andromeda’s receptionhas improved in the years since launch, andcancelingAnthemwas a saddening—if understandable—choice.Mass Effect: Legendary Editionreminded the world of what BioWare is capable of, and many are looking at it to deliver with its next two games (which don’t have official names quite yet):Dragon Age 4andMass Effect 4.
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BioWare Goals for 2022 and Beyond
Reflecting on 2021, General Manager Gary McKay discussed how the studio adapted during the pandemic, its focus on earning its fanbase’s trust back, and making sure its games are “seminal” moments in the industry—much like the release of anElder Scrollsgame. The key thing fans should take from it isBioWare’s dedication to rebuilding its reputation, and that requires it to go all-in on its upcoming games.
Dragon Age 4 News in 2022
Dragon Age 4has had a teaser trailer, concept arts, a concept trailer, a cinematic trailer, and more released thus far, but overall, it’s been quite hush-hush. It was announced in 2018, but this was very early withDragon Age 4reportedly not having a legitimate name at the time. That’s been over three years ago now, and beyond concept art, not much has been shared—nothing of in-game substance anyway. BioWare has, however, repeated thatDragon Age 4is a single-player gamea couple of times now, following rumors and reports that it was originally coming with a sizable multiplayer component.
When BioWare confirmedDragon Age 4wouldn’t be at The Game Awards 2021, it also stated that it’s “Excited for next year when [BioWare] can talk more about what [it’s] working on.” This phrasing is interesting; instead of just next year, it’s that BioWarecantalk more about it in 2022. It might be nitpicking a phrase that goes unwarranted, but obviously, as games get closer to launch, devs can talk more about them. Now, that said, it’s incredibly unlikelyDragon Age 4releases in 2022 (despite the Nvidia GeForce leak), but it could be that a real news cycle for the game launches this year.
That’s to say that, instead of continued concept art, concrete information about the game could come to light. That likely means more trailers, the actual title ofDragon Age 4, and maybe what’s going on with Solas, Tevinter, factions, and maybe companions/characters. It’s still very unlikely that BioWare reveals its whole hand this year, making all of this seem like for the end of the year. If its news cycle does pick up this year, though,2023 does look good forDragon Age 4—as reported by insider Jeff Grubb.
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Mass Effect 4 Expectations in 2022
Mass Effectis a little odd compared toDragon Age 4. The latter has a clear development timeline, of sorts. Its first iteration was canceled when more manpower was moved toAnthem, and when the newDragon Agegame was announced in 2018, the following news made it clear this version was super early in development. So, in a way, fans know that thenewDragon Agehas crudely existed since 2018and is really entering its fourth year, give or take, with 2022. So, 2023 means that it would have been in development (again, of sorts) for 5 years—a fair time.
AnewMass Effectgame was first mentioned in a 2019 report—as “super early in development.” It was a whole year later before BioWare actually confirmed its development and that followed shortly with a trailer at The Game Awards 2020. It has slightly followedDragon Agewith small reveals including anew poster to celebrate N7 Day.Dragon Agehas slightly more in terms of available content out there right now, but only slightly, making the comparison in terms of “which is further in development” hard to judge. So, crudely, it seemsMass Effectis trailingDragon Agein development by a year, but how accurate that metric is and how well it can be used to judge the development of either is a coin toss.
IfDragon Ageis targeting a 2023 release and if its new cycle were to pick up first, the most reasonable expectation is more of the same from both franchises heading later into the year: concept arts, small reveals, etc. WhenDragon Age 4does perk up its news cycle,Mass Effectmay go quieter so everyone focuses onDragon Age. Mass Effectwill probably followDragon Agea year or two afterward, and that’s assuming it goes well. ForMass Effectfans, the best bet in terms of managing expectations is to see when and what more comes ofDragon Ageand shift ideas forMass Effectback by a year or so from it.
Future BioWare Games
AfterAnthem, it’s pretty clear what fans can expect from future BioWare games: single-player RPGs. This is good because many fans are reasonably concerned about thefuture ofDragon AgeandMass Effect, and knowing there’s no live-service or multiplayer components is great. Hopefully, however, BioWare does pursue a new IP and a new innovative, single-player game. While it clearly learned its lesson fromAnthem, andDragon AgeandMass Effectare the best way forward for now, the ultimate goal is likely to hit new heights with its games…not just reclaim what it has lost.
