Long waits for new titles are somewhat customary in the RPG genre, as developers take care to deliver comprehensive sequels to beloved games. Fans of Dragon Age can relate all too well to these long periods of drought, with the last entry to the fantasy series coming almost a decade ago. While there's word of considerable progress made on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's development, with Inquisition's sequel advancing to the alpha stage and getting its official name, no official announcement of a release date is on the horizon just yet. Given Electronic Arts' marketing patterns for its more recent games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Need for Speed Unbound, gamers can draw some insight to know when to expect significant news concerning Dragon Age's latest iteration.
The wait for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has been particularly agonizing for fans, especially since Dragon Age: Inquisition had such an explosive climax with the rampage of the Red Templars across Thedas. Expectations for the next installment of the series spiked when Dreadwolf was first announced at The Game Awards in 2018, but factors including structural changes at BioWare set the title back, and the hope for a 2023 release date has essentially faded in the face of reality. Not much is known about EA's plans for Dreadwolf's debut, but fans could get some official information in the coming months.
EA's New Marketing Strategy Could Push Back Dreadwolf's Official Reveals
Initially, the title was reportedly on track for a 2023 release date, with Dreadwolf entering its alpha phase and developer BioWare teasing bits of lore in community updates. Historically, Dragon Age's alpha timelines have been a matter of months, and the official announcement of Dreadwolf reaching this development stage sent ripples of excitement through its fan base. However, tidbits of information from EA have poured cold water on such predictions, as the title was conspicuously absent from the giant publisher's plans for its fiscal year spanning from March 2023 to April 2024.
While there are still two slots for unannounced games on EA's calendar, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf isn't expected to make the list, and players might have to wait longer than initially anticipated for the title. Developer BioWare hasn't helped much by way of official information, with its last big update coming earlier in the year, revealing Dreadwolf's non-linear skill trees that enhance character customization. Despite the developer's tight-lipped approach and the title's omission from EA's calendar, there should be some concrete Dreadwolf news in the coming months to help with the sequel's marketing campaign.
Marketing is yet to begin in earnest for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, and this is the single biggest indicator for a new game's release. These typically come at game events, and while the Summer Game Fest was a viable option to update its fans, Dragon Age was an absentee once again. However, EA's recent stance of smaller marketing windows with Need for Speed Unbound and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor might have been in play, and considering the franchise's notable history with The Game Awards, gamers can be optimistic for Dreadwolf news to emerge at the premier event. The upcoming installment's last official trailer came back in 2020, and a new teaser is long overdue.
Avoiding the Q1/Q2 logjam that saw an injection of AAA titles like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Hogwarts Legacy in recent years might have influenced EA's decision to leave Dreadwolf off its 2024 fiscal calendar. Considering this decision and the publisher's new short marketing windows, the earliest chance for much-needed fan updates might be The Game Awards in 2023, since Dreadwolf may only become available for release around April 2024. A later reveal isn't totally off the cards as well, so Dragon Age fans might be in for more months of anticipation for the franchise's next edition.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.