Electronic Arts revealed what was widely believed to the first look at Dragon Age 4 during an EA Play livestream in June. There wasn't much to it, nor was the Dragon Age name uttered at any point, but it was very clearly Dragon Age imagery. Today, however, we've got something more concrete: EA has announced that more information about the next Dragon Age game will be revealed at The Game Awards.
December 4 has been designated as Dragon Age Day, a "community celebration of all things Dragon Age," and as part of that, BioWare has posted four Dragon Age short stories, each with its own art, on a new Dragon Age website.
"These stories, written by the narrative team, help paint the picture for the future of Dragon Age, including some insight into the next reveal at The Game Awards, airing on December 10 at 4 pm PT," EA said.
And here they are:
- The Next One, by Bryanna Battye
- Ruins of Reality, by John Dombrow
- The Wake, by Mary Kirby
- Minrathous Shadows, by Sheryl Chee
As exciting as the prospect of an official Dragon Age reveal may be, it comes under a very big cloud: Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah announced his departure from BioWare yesterday, as did former BioWare general manager Casey Hudson. Christian Dailey, who took over as studio director at BioWare Austin earlier this year, has been tapped to replace Darrah on the next Dragon Age game, while EA is still looking for a new GM for BioWare.
"Casey and Mark, who I’ve worked with over the last three years have both been such a positive influence, and I have learned so much from them. It is bittersweet indeed. I am going to miss working with them every day, but I know we will remain friends and I am excited for them as they embark on their next adventures," Dailey said in a message posted today.
"Obviously stepping into this role on Dragon Age after Mark is a bit humbling. Mark is someone that I look up to and is a true BioWare legend. We all hope to make him proud as we look to deliver the best Dragon Age story yet, otherwise we know we’ll hear about it…."
As we noted yesterday, everyone involved is saying all the right things but the timing of the departures is suspect at the very least: Losing the leads of both Dragon Age and Mass Effect at the same time has to be worrying, especially since each series has started to spin back up in earnest. (BioWare confirmed that a new Mass Effect game is in development during N7 Day in November.)
The Game Awards officially get underway at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET on December 10, and will be preceded by a "live pre-show" that will kick off 30 minutes ahead of the start time. The show will be streamed on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and a bunch of other platforms—we'll be watching and reporting on the whole thing as it happens.
