It looks like Dragon Age 4 will skip PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to focus entirely on next-generation consoles and PC. The news tidbit was first spotted by Twitter user Faizan Shaikh, who found the information on the LinkedIn profile of a former BioWare developer.
Dragon Age Is Next Gen Only & Deeper Character Classes I hope Bioware don't miss this time....@DaXboxUniverse @shinobi602 @Logmey92 @bogorad222 pic.twitter.com/zywS63Enyh
— Faizan Shaikh (@FaizShaikh7681) October 13, 2021
The information was then separately confirmed by GamesBeat journalist Jeff Grubb through his sources. Granted, it's not exactly surprising in any way, as the hardware of the old consoles would have only limited what the developers could do with Dragon Age 4.
More importantly from EA's viewpoint, the game's release window is far enough in the future that many more million gamers will have upgraded from PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X. In October 2019, EA told investors the next Dragon Age installment was expected to launch at some point in the company's fiscal year 2023, which runs from April 2022 to the end of March 2023. Recent rumors indicate that the development is indeed on track for a release in calendar year 2023, which also means that marketing for the game may begin in the next few months.
Not much is known about Dragon Age 4 yet. Reliable sources have confirmed that EA dropped the live service model to refocus on delivering a single player RPG experience, much to the relief of countless fans. As for the setting, the artbook (and some stills from the TGA trailer) revealed that Dragon Age 4 will take place at least partly in the Tevinter Imperium, the powerful magocracy led by the Imperial Archon.
Details on the story are even scarcer, but BioWare did drop hints that particular focus may be placed on red lyrium, the dangerous but powerful mineral that can act as an anti-magic substance. The main villain is expected to be Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf, previously a companion to the player character known as Solas in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Throughout the game's DLCs, Fen'Harel plainly communicated his intention to restore the ancient elven glory even if it means annihilating the current inhabitants of Thedas.
