The gargantuan Gamescom 2020 Opening Night Live presentation featured a few surprises, but perhaps one of the biggest was an update on Dragon Age 4, developer BioWare's next instalment in its incredibly popular fantasy RPG franchise. BioWare has been busy with other properties in recent years - most famously Anthem, which has since been shuttered into a small, niche corner of the internet - but consumers have been clamoring for a follow-up to the Dragon Age games in particular after the success of Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Dragon Age 4 has been teased a few times by BioWare, but no solid updates had been given prior to Gamescom 2020. What fans knew about the game was that it would continue to pull on threads placed down in previous narratives, with many expecting that Solas - the Dread Wolf, as fans came to know him throughout the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition - would play a role, while the exact nature of the game's build, approach to RPGs, and setting remained a mystery.
At Gamescom 2020 Opening Night Live, Dragon Age 4 finally got another update, although it was a very measured one from its developer. BioWare debuted an official look at how the game's development is progressing, and provided fans with a few breadcrumbs about what to expect. The trailer featured voice over talent rehearsing lines, including Solas' voice actor - and a character named Davrin who appears to be a member of the Grey Wardens. While the inclusion of either Solas or a Grey Warden isn't exactly shocking, it at least confirms the fantasy setting will remain consistent in its narrative threads. The trailer didn't provide any finished looks at gameplay, but showed off some environmental designs and character animations that at least confirmed the series will remain true to its extremely detailed, high fantasy roots.
Overall, while nothing major was announced, it's clear progress has been made on Dragon Age 4, and fans now have a decent idea of what to expect from the upcoming narrative. How the Dread Wolf rises is still unclear, but it's certainly going to be intrinsically tied to the player character, as Solas' voice actor asks them what they will be called after stating the fact he's referred to as the Dread Wolf.
There's going to be a lot of information still to come, and nothing shown by BioWare indicates that Dragon Age 4 is anywhere near completion. For fans of the franchise, though, just knowledge that there has been progress - narratives have been established, lines of dialogue have been recorded, and characters have names attached to them - will be enough to sate them for the time being. While there's no way to tell just how good Dragon Age 4 is shaping up to be just yet, the latest update at least appears to indicate consumers will get an idea of that at some point in the future, and potentially sooner than they thought.
Source: Gamescom 2020 Opening Night Live, Nibel