Summary
Following an announcement of layoffs at BioWare, a new report indicates thatDragon Age: Dreadwolf’s release date is in a state of constant flux. It seems that fans shouldn’t expectDragon Age: Dreadwolfprior to Summer 2024, but it could easily fall later into the year, if not into early 2025.
As many already know,Dragon Age: Dreadwolfhas had a complicated development. The original vision of the game, dubbed Project Joplin, was canceled sometime in 2017 before BioWare greenlit Project Morrison, the current version of “Dragon Age 4.” This is the version of the game teased at The Game Awards 2018, which reportedly did not even have a real title at the time. In the years since, fans have gotten trailers that have heavily focused on Solas' well-established plans and a few concept arts, but nothing in the way of real marketing or real content. Many fans have been patient, eager to see what BioWare does withDragon Age: Dreadwolf, but the layoffs undercut a lot of that silent anticipation. The latest release date update isn’t likely to help it either.
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Jeff Grubb discussed the recent BioWare happenings during his recent Game Mess Mornings podcast, and reportedly,members of theMass Effectteamare being pulled ontoDragon Age: Dreadwolf’s development to help it to the finish line. But that finish line appears to be ever-moving. Grubb reports that, at one point,Dragon Age: Dreadwolfwas aiming to release in September 2023. Those internal expectations were moved to March 2024 and now are set for summer 2024, but the constant flux around these dates means it wouldn’t be surprising, at all, if it were delayed to the end of 2024. But Grubb believes it’s a situation where it could keep moving, even into 2025 to get out before the end of the fiscal year, as the whole situation remains fluid. (These comments come around the ten-minute mark below, but it’s worth listening to the first ten minutes to get all the BioWare context).
Now, it’s worth highlighting how all of these are internal expectations, dates, and windows. Nothing aboutDragon Age: Dreadwolf’s release datehas been communicated publicly, and perhaps the closest thing to it would be the report it was in its Alpha stage back in October 2022. However, assuming this reporting is accurate, it’s worth pointing out that the expectations rely on several internal factors to decide upon, and constantly shifting can be a bad sign. It doesn’t mean it is necessarily, but in conjunction with the BioWare layoffs, it’s not painting a good picture.
Of course, the concern here isn’t the potentially internally delayed release date either. Even if it were to come out in 2025, many fans want a polished true-to-Dragon Ageexperience, and fans have been patient this long. A longer wait out of necessity is what it is. However, the sheer idea of perpetually shifting goalposts and reallocated resources would suggest that development is not going as intended, and that could have a negative impact on the game. It all remains to be seen, but this isn’t the updatefans wanted forDragon Age: Dreadwolfin 2023.
