On Monday morning, an open letter from Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah was posted to the official Bioware site, making known a couple of tidbits regarding the next game in the series. One is that the game’s official title is Dragon Age III: Inquisition. The other is that the game is being built using the DICE-developed Frostbite 2 engine, which is known more for its use in games such as the Battlefield series of military shooters than in epic fantasy RPGs.
Bioware came under heavy fire in 2011 following the release of Dragon Age II, which despite fairly positive press reviews (the PC version currently sits with a score of 82 on Metacritic) was savaged by consumers disappointed by what they perceived as numerous faults. The drama that ensued on the official Bioware forums and elsewhere on the internet turned particularly nasty at points, but as Darrah notes in his letter, the company has sought fan feedback in an attempt to right the ship with Dragon Age III.
“Part of that effort has involved you, our fans, and the feedback you’ve provided for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and their DLC. We’ve visited message boards, read reviews, and we’ve gone to events to have direct face to face conversations with some of our most passionate fans. We’ve been listening, and we will continue to listen.”
Beyond the game’s name and the technology behind it, nothing else was revealed. It’s impossible to say at this point whether Bioware will follow through on their promises with Dragon Age III, but their apparent willingness to take fan feedback into consideration could be seen as a positive sign. We should know more as soon as Bioware has something ready to present.
