One month after a survey about the Dragon Age series leaked to the net, BioWare has confirmed details about Dragon Age III: Inquisition. While the title of the game seems to confirm the legitimacy of the survey, the most significant details about the game, particularly what consoles it will be available on, are still unknown. The technology behind the game suggests Dragon Age III may be available for not just the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 but the Xbox 710 and PlayStation 4 as well.
BioWare veteran Mark Darrah wrote an introduction to the game on BioWare’s official website trying to address the myriad rumors about the game spreading across the Internet. He hinted but didn’t explicit say details from the survey were accurate in regards to the game’s story. “We won’t be talking about the story of the game today,” said Darrah, “Though you can make some guesses from the title.” The plot described in the survey said that you will play as an inquisitor trying to end a civil war in your homeland where a portal releasing demons has opened.
Darrah did emphasize that new technology will be under Dragon Age III’s hood. “We are working on a new engine which we believe will allow us to delivery a more expansive world, better visuals, more reactivity to player choices, and more customization,” said the producer, “We’ve started with Frostbite 2 from DICE as a foundation to accomplish this.” The same engine used to build Battlefield 3, Frostbite 2 was designed as a scalable base so games can be built for both old console technology like Microsoft and Sony’s current consoles, high-end PCs, and the next generation of console technology expected on the market by the end of 2013. The technology choice certainly suggests that BioWare wants its game on every commercially viable platform.
Further statements from an Electronic Arts press release seem to confirm it. It says the game will be out at the end of 2013, perfectly timed with the expected release window for the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.
BioWare’s chief goal with these missives seems to be assuaging fan fears that Dragon Age III will continue on the same path as Dragon Age II in building the game for a broader audience. Darrah lays out his history with BioWare—combat and AI programmer on Baldur’s Gate, lead programmer on Jade Empire, and executive producer on Dragon Age: Origins during its last year of production—hoping to establish the game’s credibility in the face of a vocal, skeptical audience.
