Dragon Age 4 is on schedule for a release date in late 2023, per VentureBeat journalist Jeff Grubb, who was speaking about the upcoming BioWare game during his latest episode of GrubbSnax on Giant Bomb.
He said, “That brings us to Dragon Age 4, which I’ve heard is in very good shape. Overall, when they look at where they’re supposed to be at [in the development cycle], they are hitting their milestones and where they’re supposed to be, and the game is on schedule.”
He continues to explain that this means BioWare is well set to hit their late 2023 release date, roughly 18 months from now.
That a game’s development is going to plan feels practically unheard of, especially when it comes to big budget AAA games. It’s also a bit of a surprise, given that we know the studio has had some major departures – including Creative Director Matthew Goldman at the end of last year – and that this game’s development has come following the disastrous releases of Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda and a big shakeup to BioWare as a whole.
Dragon Age 4 was first publicly acknowledged in 2020, as EA were foreshadowing their next-gen plans for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S – Dragon Age 4 is reportedly a PS5, Xbox Series and PC game, that ditches support for the last generation. It was then at the 2020 The Game Awards that we got our first teaser for the game, featuring familiar heroes (and an unmistakable villain) that revealed this to be a direct follow-up to 2014’s Dragon Age Inquisition.
The reveal trailer didn’t give much away, giving us some pleasant cinematics of bow wielding warriors, and fighting against dragons, demons and dark spawn against some suitably fantastical backdrops, including our old favourite, the lava filled cavern. We do see the return of Elven mage Solas which should please Dragon Age fans, while the voiceover tells us that “It’s time for a new hero, no ancient hand, no legacy” so perhaps we’re going to have a new unnamed, ordinary central character who’s swept up in all sorts of shenanigans.
Dragon Age 4 has a new hero, but what does this mean for The Inquisitor?
Since that trailer, it’s been fairly quiet (outside of a few rumours and reports), so we have no real official word on how development is progressing. If it’s expected in 2023, then we can probably pin some hopes on seeing more of the game later this year, perhaps making a bit of a splash at whatever happens during the summer showcase season still (just about) known as E3.