Dragon Agefans have been waiting for a new title since 2014, and whileDragon Age 4was first teased back in 2018, it didn’t receive a proper title until this year,Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. The long wait can be contributed to a number of internal shiftings at BioWare, as theoriginal “Joplin"Dragon Age 4projectwould be replaced by the Morrison project after the launches ofMass Effect: AndromedaandAnthem.However, BioWare is full steam ahead withDragon Age: Dreadwolfnow.
BioWare has issued a few community updates regarding story and lore, and it confirmed whenDragon Age: Dreadwolfhad entered its alpha state. This means that, internally, the game is playable from start to finish, with the developer currently working out all the kinks at all levels. However, when this was revealed, some jumped toAnthemandDragon Age: Inquisition’s alpha timelines.Dragon Age: Inquisitionhad 6-9 months or so in alpha, whileAnthem’s was much shorter. These expectations were not realistic, as no one would really wantDragon Age: Dreadwolfto go the way ofAnthem,but despite that, it should still be a good year for the game.
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Dragon Age: Dreadwolf News, Trailers in 2023
The biggest question right now is when marketing forDragon Age: Dreadwolfwill begin, as this could be the biggest indicator of its release. Three major possibilities seem to stand out: E3, Summer Game Fest, and/or The Game Awards. BioWare has a pretty good relationship with the latter, and since this is where it was initially announced, it would be a good way to kick off the game’s marketing in full. However, an EA event in conjunction with E3 2023 or a presentation at Summer Game Fest would be wise if it intends to start sooner. It’s hard to say which direction it’ll go.
Furthermore, it’s important to considerNeed for Speed UnboundandStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s marketing. With these two games, EA has opted to have a smaller window for marketing, focused on tighter reveals. The little information revealed about both ahead of release is evidence of that, which means that marketing forDragon Age: Dreadwolfmay not begin in earnest until a few months before release.
With this in mind, whether it appears at E3, Summer Game Fest, or The Game Awards first may set the tone and cadence for its information, even thoughDragon Age: Dreadwolf’s story,companions, and so on may have more to show than the prior games. As to what is shown, a proper cinematic trailer is likely to come first.
All priorDragon Age: Dreadwolftrailershave mostly been teases of Solas, concept art, and so on, with very little in terms of concrete content. Gameplay would naturally come sometime after, though some mixed it would be appreciated, and many will want to see theDragon Age: Dreadwolfcompanionsbe marketed too.Dragon Age: Inquisitionhandled it nicely, giving fans a glimpse at them over time, and something is likely to happen here. Of course, news regarding its story, characters, gameplay elements, mechanics, changes, and so on could filter in with all of this, but ultimately, the earliest fans should expect anything concrete is the middle of the year. The end of the year, however, is just as likely.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is Unlikely to Release in 2023
Depending on EA’s marketing strategy, where its marketing first begins, and how much it shows ahead of time, it’s not impossible a presumed appearance in the summer prepares it for a fall/winter/holiday release. That said, this does feel unlikely. The aforementioned alpha timelines ofAnthemandDragon Age: Inquisition,if applied here, would put it in Summer 2023. This cadence could set precedent, but that doesn’t mean it should. It is likely to remain in alpha longer, meaning fall 2023 isn’t impossible, but it is highly improbable.
It should be noted that areport aboutDragon Age: Dreadwolf’s release dateearly last year put its potential release window, tentatively, in the fall 2023-early 2024 window. This is the most recent and reliable information regarding this information, but of course, it is not official. On top of that, any number of things can shift internally between early 2022 and 2023 that this claim could have been true but is outdated now, so that’s a pretty big caveat. That said, it does fall in line pretty well with a potential, reasonable alpha time.
One would imagine thatDragon Age: Dreadwolfwould make for a great holiday game, meaning fall 2023 may be more appealing than early 2024, but that’s no longer the case really. The past few years have seen some really busy Q1/Q2 periods, with therelease ofHorizon Forbidden WestandElden Ringearly last year being proof of that, while games likeHogwarts LegacyandDead Island 2are releasing early this year. This means that, if the report’s claims remain steadfast, it has a huge open window where it could dominate. That doesn’t mean it won’t release later in 2024, if that is the case, but there are so many variables that it’s hard to know for sure. For now, until more information comes in, early 2024 is a decent possibility.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf May Use 2023 to Set Up for a Big 2024
IfDragon Age: Dreadwolfreleases in 2024, then it could use 2023 to get a leg-up on marketing. Ending the year with a big reveal atThe Game Awards 2023, perhaps giving fans more information than anticipated, with a 2024 release window and a promise of more news coming soon would be awesome to see. Tidbits of information would likely continue to this point, but the drought at this point could make marketing, even for EA, start sooner.
At the same time, if it did start sooner and broke from EA’s recent approach, that would be just as welcome if not more so. It should be a big year forBioWareandDragon Age: Dreadwolf; it’s just a matter of when and which way it’s going to go.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolfis in development.
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