BioWare Says Baldur’s Gate 3’s Emboldened The Dragon Age Team

Since Dragon Age: The Veilguard was properly unveiled this summer, BioWare’s long-awaited fantasy RPG has been frequently compared to Larian Studios’ 2023 Game of the Year contender Baldur’s Gate 3. At a glance, the comparison seems appropriate, as Baldur’s Gate 3 is a fantasy RPG with difficult decisions, memorable companions, and an in-depth character creator so you can properly roleplay in its fantasy world. But The Veilguard is an action RPG that isn’t looking to accomplish the same turn-based, immersive sim-style systems of Larian Studios. So how did BioWare feel watching Baldur’s Gate 3 become a runaway success as it was working on a game that would undoubtedly be scrutinized next to it? Pretty optimistic, it sounds like.

IGN recently ran a story about the decade-long development ofDragon Age: The Veilguard. In it, developers at BioWare discuss the multiple gameplay iterations the studio went through to reach the single-player, choice-driven RPG that will launch on October 31. Before it became the titlewe’re getting in a few weeks, the fourth Dragon Age was a multiplayer game still trying to tell the story of the elven rebel god Solas, but as the studio went back to the drawing board over the past ten years, it eventually became a game that let the team go “back to [its] roots.”

After all that strife, Mark Darrah, the ex-executive producer of the Dragon Age series, who left BioWare in 2020, returned to consult on The Veilguard, told IGN Baldur’s Gate 3’s success didn’t worry the studio. Instead, it emboldened BioWare that its decision to go back to basics was the right call, as it confirmed the audience is still there for games like The Veilguard.

We played seven hours of The Veilguard last month, and came away pretty optimistic. Though some news has trickled out about how the sequel will handle choices from previous games that has fans concerned.