Following the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard last week, there's been a spike in fans returning to the series in general. If you were wondering whether EA plans to give the earlier games a Mass Effect: Legendary Edition style makeover, BioWare has now provided an update.
In the same Rolling Stone interview, Dragon Age's creative director John Epler mentioned how the team loves the original games but admits remastering them probably wouldn't be "as easy" as Mass Effect. The challenges are associated with the fact the first two Dragon Age games ran on EA's propriety 'Eclipse Engine' and there are only about "20 people left" at the studio who know how to use it:
"I think I’m one of about maybe 20 people left at BioWare who’s actually used Eclipse. It’s something that’s not going to be as easy as Mass Effect, but we do love the original games. Never say never, I guess that’s what it comes down to."
In contrast, the first three Mass Effect titles were developed on Unreal Engine - making the remaster process for this Legendary Edition a lot easier. While Dragon Age remasters might not be happening (at least in the foreseeable future), Xbox fans interested in revisiting this series from the beginning can still access the earlier games on Xbox Game Pass and with backwards compatibility.
Although BioWare could still be open to the older Dragon Age games returning, it seems it's well and truly done with the newest entry - with recent confirmation its full attention has now entirely shifted to the next Mass Effect project.
Would you like to see a remastered collection of the earlier Dragon Age games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
[source rollingstone.com, via pcgamer.com]
Comments 10
@freddones The team that made the first Dragon Age would have been under 50 people I’d guess and most wouldn’t be doing any significant programming I,e. writers, artists, QA, Producers etc.
John Elper was a cinematic designer on Origins so would have been working directly within the engine. I’m surprised there’s even as many as 20 people that worked directly with the engine still around.
It wouldn't sell as well as the mass effect remastered trilogy
Xbox probably wondering why they bothered with backwards compatibility when every game gets a remaster. At least these work well on Series X; which is where I picked up my DA2 decade old playthrough and finished it. And also mopped up the last few achievements from my DA Origins playthrough I started in 2009.
I think Dragon Age 2 must be one of the games I finished the most times. Was interested in a collection until I got an Xbox.
Doesn't matter. Bioware's dead and we'll never buy another product from them again.
@Ricky-Spanish not now that they've killed the franchise name... People who don't know any better might think the old games are just as bad as the new one.
I’d like a remaster of DA2, but I’m delighted with Veilguard and would prefer them to focus on newer things.
There are close to zero reasons to remaster old games when we already have Bioware's magnum opus, known as DA:Vailguard. Similar to Baldur's Gate 3, the new game is infinitely replayable, and it will take fans years to discover all the various paths, secrets, and builds. Let Bioware focus on Mass Effect. 🙏
Doesn't Dragon Age sell more? Yet for USA audience maybe not or they love to market Mass Effect more. I mean among competition it's surprising how much. dragon Age does a s series or curd through among other fantasy RPGs over the years. Even story/mechanically it's more impressive to me then Mass Effect (which I have played more then Dragon Age not completion but still more) and that's from research I respect the series a lot.
But impressive things mean nothing these days I know those ones don't sell well otherwise it's why I research them among the boring successful simple products is the ambitious amazing more engaging not boring products then ones so simple for boring people and why we get the garbage and emotional/nostalgia manipulating garbage we see today in Indies, AA and AAA. I know I research all eras game design is so pathetic these days for boring graphics and story telling them engaging story and better gameplay we get generic gameplay, what a waste of a medium. I may be harsh but I don't buy many games anymore because they are so casual and so boring to be as simple as possible. Not nostalgia I hate nostalgia I buy old games with better ideas left behind. To get inspired then modern games that inspire me why they are empty and pathetic and have better ideas to add to them because they are so bad.
While tough they forced people to use Frostbite to save on money cough cough so isn't that a FAIR COMPARISON EA AND TOUE BS EXCUSES.
20 PEOPLE IS ENOUGH, WHETHER they want to deal with it is another and EAs standards, the cost to work on it EA won't provide and other particular reasons. Aka they are covering it up as if the business speak wasn't obvious.
Xenoblade X exists for Switch now and that was halted as a plan they had for years I assume.
Some do make it through WHEN FHEY TRY. EA has never cared ever anyway..Bioware or the IPs deserve better under a different publisher, or being an Indies instead.
Part 2
and UE2 to 4 was its own challenge probably. 20 people is impressive due to how EA has done things the past few decades, killed many studios, been marked the worst company ever probably many times.
I see an EA/EXEC issue here then an engine issue. Or staff issue of them going nah we don't care enough/don't have the enthusiasm or EA won't waste the money.
It's not hard to see past just an engine limit it's always more factors not 1 straight answer.
I mean it's no Cobalt code limited people and particular info and data of that news situation, knowing about it or some IBM 510 stuff in comparison but even still it is surprising.
Toys for Bob and a bunch of other studios had to recreate the Spyro PS1 games from scratch, others would put effort into reverse engineering even. Companies go eh. Fans go either eh maybe or can't wait. Companies have more factors but can easily disappoint that take a challenge. No wonder we see the same IPs, trends and very few worthy risks taken.
Heck I'd take Under the Skin remaster the RE3 content, a good multiplayer game but nope to Capcom there. PN03 I don't see a chance but Under the Skin I do. It's cell shaded and holds up well. But no worthless IPs that are new but fair good sequel IPs but probably is you can't use the same ones forever.
Activision was willing to fund Spyro and they laser scanned and did a lot for it. Sure the rushing of it and sure sales but Spyro/Crash audiences are different too.
Then again Indie platformers are eh to me any regardless of their revival the quality is eh weak. Too weak game design they have basic games and barely anything exciting to offer. When 5-6th gen games I look further at have better ideas the Indies are too narrow view inspired or too copy paste but different assets it is so boring.
They can get any other studios or small team but EA messed up BF2042 a bunch behiyrhe scenes and that was worth it the ideas changed and idiots mind changing every few monutes. What progress that was. XD Idiors.
Veilguaed is probably great I have avoided spoilers on purpose though.
2 had it's moments besides how it turned out. But the series needs more.
Origins was good for the time. Inquisition is what it is of details people like or hate I think it's fair to great in areas I've heard or odd polish at times.
Get better creatives or get better publisher/execs. Games suck these days.
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