Dreadwolf’ release date, trailer, concept art, and BioWare news

The next fantasy adventure in development from the studio behind the iconic Mass Effect series and divisive Anthem is Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. More than six years after the release of the franchise’s latest entry, Dragon Age: Inquisition, there’s no telling when fans might return to the continent of Thedas. But between early peeks at concept art and even a cinematic trailer showcase some of the changes.

Following the game’s latest trailer from The Game Awards 2020 and a recent update from BioWare, here’s everything we know about Dragon Age 4, now known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.

By all accounts, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has had something of a rocky development. In January 2018, BioWare shifted much of its resources towards Anthem instead of the next Dragon Age.

BioWare announced in a December 3, 2020 blog post that General Manager Casey Hudson and Executive Producer Mark Darrah had left the company, saying that both wanted to “try something different.” Hudson and Darrah published their own statements on the blog reflecting on many years with the company. These are just the latest of several key staff who have departed over some kind of creative differences. Christian Dailey, meanwhile, will now be leading the new Dragon Age project.

When is the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf release date?

Concept art from Matt Rhodes featuring Solas, a character from ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition.’BioWare

Realistically, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will probably be released sometime in 2023. BioWare’s latest update on June 2, 2022, states “While the game won’t be releasing this year, we’re growing closer to that next adventure.”

In February 2022, a blog post from BioWare stated that the new Dragon Age was in the “middle of production,” which could give us a very rough idea as to when it could release. Teasers for a new Dragon Age game started as far back as 2015, when executive producer Mark Darrah tweeted a video of a mysterious red book.

Despite that, full production likely didn’t happen until years later. The aforementioned blog post wishes farewell to Christian Dailey, and notes that he started with the team back in 2018. That’s likely about when early development started, so being at the midway point in February 2022 means that we probably won’t see Dragon Age: Dreadwolf until the tail-end of 2023 at the earliest. That’s likely a generous estimate, however, and fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for anything outside of 2024.

Is there a Dragon Age: Dreadwolf trailer?

A full trailer for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf was released at The Game Awards 2020. It was purely cinematic and emphasizes that the hero isn’t a chose one fulfilling a prophecy. We also briefly see Solas at the end of the trailer, confirming what the Dread Wolf will look like in BioWare’s next title. While the game recently lost two of its biggest creative forces, Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah, this trailer indicates that the game is still on track.

Check out the trailer below:

“The world of Dragon Age needs a new hero — someone who can take on the evil forces threatening Thedas,” the video’s description says. “Get a first look at some of the new locations you’ll discover and the factions fighting by your side in the next chapter of Dragon Age.

We still haven’t gotten a gameplay trailer, but some other videos do exist. For example, we got a “Behind the scenes at BioWare” video about “the next Dragon Age” during August 2020’s Gamescom. The video features mostly interviews with developers, but sparse bits of concept art and in-game environments do look stunning. There are also hints that rather than an important and powerful character like the Inquisitor, players will assume the role of a nobody within this world.

“We want to tell a story of what happens when you don’t have power,” Lead Writer Patrick Weekes says in the video. “What happens when the people in charge aren’t willing to address the issues.” Various pieces of concept art feature different characters, new and old, so there should be a mix of companions. The Game Awards 2020’s trailer reinforces that.

What consoles will Dragon Age: Dreadwolf be available on?

While it’s still too early to know for sure, it seems likely based on the timing that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will be made exclusively available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X series of consoles, alongside PC. EA confirmed this during EA Play 2020.

What is Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s story?

Concept art released by BioWare, presumably set somewhere in Tevinter.BioWare

Because details are so scarce on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, we don’t know much about the actual story. Still, there are a couple of important details that are already known. The reveal trailer hinted at this, but the game’s subtitle of “Dreadwolf” guarantees that Solas from Dragon Age: Inquisition will have a huge role to play. At the end of Inquisition Solas revealed that he’s actually the ancient elven god of betrayal, Fen’Harel, otherwise known as the Dreadwolf. In Dragon Age lore, the Dreadwolf was responsible for tricking the other elven gods and sealing them away, ensuring they could never interact with mortals again.

The Trespasser DLC for Inquisition reveals that Solas’ ultimate goal is to restore the elven people to their former glory, and he’ll stop at nothing to see it through. Here it’s also revealed that Solas actually fought to protect the people from the god’s tyranny, and sealed them away to stop them from destroying the world. Considering all this exposition comes from Solas himself, however, it’s possible the real truth could be something else.

While we don’t know Solas’ full plan, he’s likely going to play the role of Dreadwolf’s main villain, or at least a major character. BioWare’s latest update reads “Using Solas’s namesake no doubt suggests a spectrum of endless possibilities on where things may go. But at the core of this, like every past game, is you. If you’re new to Dragon Age, you have no need to worry about not having met our antagonist just yet. He’ll properly introduce himself when the time is right.”

The other major detail we know about Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, is that the game will take place in a location the series has never explored before now, the Tevinter Imperium. A 25th-anniversary book from BioWare confirms this with a passage talking about the new game that says “The game, helmed by executive producer Mark Darrah, will take players to Tevinter as the events of Inquisition and Trespasser threaten to forever change Thedas.”

In past games, players have heard a lot about Tevinter, and talked to characters from the country, like the party member Dorian. Tevinter is the oldest nation on Thedas and it’s a magocracy that prizes research and magical power above all else.

What does the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf concept art depict?

Bioware / Electronic Arts

Dorian, an aristocratic necromancer from Inquisition, is featured swimming underwater in one piece of concept art, hinting that he’ll be a member of the player’s party once again. And some fans have theorized that the other two characters here are Zevran and Isabela.

The behind-the-scenes preview for the game teases that as players trek across the world of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, they’ll encounter a vast array of inhabitants with various cultures and backgrounds. These will lead to many different quests including “hard-boiled detective stories” and untapped “frontier” exploration.

Bioware / Electronic Arts

The full cast of characters is pretty cryptic, but one of these characters seems to have a gun?

Bioware / Electronic Arts

The next Dragon Age should be a vast, compelling adventure. It can’t come soon enough.

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is currently in development.

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The next fantasy adventure in development from the studio behind the iconic Mass Effect series and divisive Anthem is Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. More than six years after the release of the franchise’s latest entry, Dragon Age: Inquisition, there’s no telling when fans might return to the continent of Thedas. But between early peeks at concept…

The next fantasy adventure in development from the studio behind the iconic Mass Effect series and divisive Anthem is Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. More than six years after the release of the franchise’s latest entry, Dragon Age: Inquisition, there’s no telling when fans might return to the continent of Thedas. But between early peeks at concept…