Don’t hold your breath for remasters of the original Dragon Age trilogy – they’re pretty much impossible, BioWare’s former Dragon Age boss has said.
In an interview with FRVR, ex-Dragon Age series producer Mark Darrah was asked about the chances of a remastered collection of the first three Dragon Age games, similar to the Mass Effect collection. He noted that while he had previously envisioned a “Champion’s Trilogy” that would attempt to unify all three games (since they’re quite different from each other), he doesn’t think it’s likely anymore.
Why? Because no one currently at BioWare understands the engine those games were built on, and as a result, it also can’t be outsourced because all that institutional knowledge is gone.
“There is basically no one at BioWare anymore that understands the Aurora Engine,” Darrah claimed. “There’s basically no one outside of BioWare anymore that understands the Aurora engine. So unlike Mass Effect, which is Unreal… there are basically no companies that could help you.”
Dragon Age began life in 2009 with the much-loved Dragon Age: Origins, and was quickly followed-up by Dragon Age 2 just two years later. The hugely successful Dragon Age: Inquisition came out in 2014.
Darrah noted that the only way a Dragon Age Trilogy remaster might be feasible is if EA built an entire team with this project in mind, but that would ultimately mean they aren’t working on other new projects, which isn’t as savory for a big publisher like EA.
Darrah had previously noted that EA isn’t a big fan of remasters either, which is mostly evident in its library of titles. The Mass Effect trilogy and the remake of Dead Space are exceptions, but fans have been clamoring for revivals of other games like Dragon Age, Need for Speed, and more.
Maybe one day a Dragon Age collection will come to fruition, but it doesn’t sound like it would happen anytime soon. It doesn’t help that Dragon Age: The Veilguard flopped as well, which may have soured EA on doing anything with the IP for the foreseeable future.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.