Summary
BioWare’sDragon Age: Dreadwolfis arguably the most anticipatedDragon Agetitle yet, as it has already been six years since its announcement and nearly a decade since the launch of the lastDragon Agegame. Very little has been disclosed about the next installment, but BioWare is planning afull reveal ofDragon Age: Dreadwolffor this summerthat should give fans a good taste of what it will bring to the franchise.
Despite their obvious differences,Dragon Age: Dreadwolfonce shared an unfortunate similarity withSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Rocksteady Studios' latest ambitious addition to its Arkhamverse. AsKill the Justice Leaguehas underperformed on a rather grand scale, however, it’s fortunate thatDreadwolfmanaged to evade a bullet that has nearly fatally woundedKill the Justice Leagueand left its player count trickling off to a very minuscule number less than a month after its release.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguehas had a rough go of it so far in 2024. Perhaps expectations were set too high, but it’s most likely due to the game possessing a feature that has burned many gamers in the past: the infamous live-service model. Before its February 2 launch, Rocksteady began divulging information aboutKill the Justice League, including that it would follow a live-service model in an attempt to extend the game’s lifespan and retain its players for months on end. This struck fear into the hearts of many,forcingKill the Justice Leagueinto an uphill battle. Unfortunately, those fears were realized shortly following the game’s release.
Kill the Justice Leaguehasn’t been all bad, as it proved to be a rather entertaining experience for a while. Unfortunately, as days went on, many critics expressed their disappointment with the live-service content, acknowledging its repetitive mission design. This notion has been largely felt acrossKill the Justice League’s player base, leading to the game retaining only about 5% of its initial players before the end of its first month. While there is still hope forKill the Justice Leaguewith its seasonal roadmapstill intact, things don’t look so good for it at the moment. This is the bullet thatDragon Age: Dreadwolfmay have only narrowly dodged during its development.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Was Almost a Live-Service Game
Perhaps unbeknownst to some,Dragon Age: Dreadwolfwas almost a live-service game. This would have been a massive shakeup for the franchise, as no otherDragon Agegame before it had ever attempted such a feat. Development forDragon Age: Dreadwolfbegan in 2015 under the codename “Joplin.” However, when BioWare began experiencing a lot of setbacks with the development ofMass Effect: AndromedaandAnthem, much of the staff assigned to “Joplin” were transferred over to assist in their development, putting “Joplin” on the back burner until afterAndromeda’s release. Shortly after, BioWare and EA canceled “Joplin”, with the reason reportedly being because its “live service component” wasn’t conducive to their goals.
There’s no way of knowing how a live-service model would have affectedDragon Age: Dreadwolf, simply because developers often approach the model from different standpoints. Live-service games are notorious for having bland, repetitive content, and it’s possibleDreadwolfwould have garnered the same judgment. Still, there are somelive-service games, likeDestiny 2andFinal Fantasy 14, that have stood the test of time due to the hard work and dedication of their developers, andDreadwolfmight have been able to accomplish the same. Even so, it’s more likely thatDreadwolfis on the right side of development now that its live-service model is buried in its past.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf
WHERE TO PLAY
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is the fourth game in the franchise, serving as a direct sequel to the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Players will attempt to stop Solas from tearing down the Veil, among other possibly major plot points. Its events see players travel to Tevinter, the Anderfels, Rivain, and Antiva.
