Dragon Age II: Ultimate Edition News

Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah has discussed pitching remasters of the first three games in the series to EA, and made clear in the same interview that he's encourage the developers of the next Mass Effect game to "scapegoat" Dragon Age: The Veilguard "as much as they need to".

Darrah's offered a lot of insight into life at BioWare since departing the studio back in 2022, with the veteran dev having done plenty of that via his own YouTube channel. This time, though, he was interviewed by YouTuber MrMattyPlays.

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Back before the mighty Baldur's Gate 3 took over the world, it was Dragon Age: Origins that really opened my heart to the old-school fantasy RPG. Set against the much more modern-feeling Mass Effect, Bioware very deliberately built something that appealed to the classic CRPG crowd. While every entry in the series has its fans, DAO is still my personal favorite, and I'd love to see it make a comeback. Unfortunately, Bioware legend Mark Darrah (who worked as executive producer on the first three Dragon Age games) claims that, while such an idea was pitched by the studio, publisher EA wasn't willing to provide the funding needed to make it happen.

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The Veilguard might be good, but Dragon Age 2 is the best in the series

Dragon Age 2 characters explain its recent acclaim, says dev

Why Dragon Age 2 is still one of the most accessible triple-A RPGs

Depending on who you talk to, you'll get a different answer on which Dragon Age is their favorite. The elders will grow misty eyed and reminisce about Dragon Age: Origins, which took the Baldur's Gate formula and updated it for the next millennium. Some will look fondly at Dragon Age Inquisition and its MMO style of questing across vast, sprawling plains, complete with some of the best characters in the series. Over the coming months, I'm sure even others will point towards Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as a new generation gets to step into the legendary RPG series. And then there's Dragon Age 2, spoken of only in hushed tones by those contrarian few who hold it dear to their hearts. But the time for timidity is over. I'm here to shout that Dragon Age 2 is easily the best of the series, and it needs to step out and take its rightful place in the sun.

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Dragon Age 2 characters explain its recent acclaim, says dev

Why Dragon Age 2 is still one of the most accessible triple-A RPGs

Just as news of Dragon Age 4's full title arrives, a former series director's deep dive video talks about how the once-maligned Dragon Age 2 "is very fashionable to like now because it's the first BioWare game to intentionally put the characters first." Mark Darrah, former BioWare project director on the RPG game, has released a video in his 'Memories and Lessons' development series talking in depth about the fantasy game's rushed development and the achievements he's most proud of the team for.

"Dragon Age II is a game that is about constraints," says Darrah in the hour-long video posted to his 'Old game dev advice' YouTube channel. Following the closure of BioWare's acquisition by EA in 2008 just before Dragon Age: Origins shipped, he explains, the publisher was eager to release BioWare's MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic as a competitor to World of Warcraft. According to Darrah, that game's pushback out of the 2011 fiscal year left EA "pretty mad at BioWare" and insisting that a game was shipped to "plug the hole" for that financial year.

This led to the decision to rework Dragon Age II's design, which was originally planned to be similar in scope to what Dragon Age: Inquisition would later become, into a game that could fill those needs. While some work from what was originally a second expansion pack for Origins was rolled into the project, says Darrah, he is uncomfortable with language suggesting the game was "built out of an expansion pack," because almost no assets or levels had been created beforehand and he feels it minimises the team's accomplishment of building the game in less than 15 months.

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Why Dragon Age 2 is still one of the most accessible triple-A RPGs

Of all the coming holidays, Dragon Age Day on December 4 might be the one series fans are looking forward to the most. Since players founded the event in 2018, the annual celebration of BioWare's fantasy RPG series has continued to grow. Last year, the studio even contributed to the festivities by releasing new short stories and previously unseen artwork - fresh crumbs of information for fans to devour in anticipation of Dragon Age 4 news.

"The fact that our unofficial day is now marked and celebrated by BioWare itself is probably the best compliment we could ask for," Dragon Age Day founder Teresa M says.

But the event isn't just a community celebration; it's an opportunity for fans to support inclusive causes they believe in. For the past four years, the founders and their fast-growing team of volunteers have run a tight ship, steering their passion for Dragon Age and its capacity to bring people together towards raising funds for charity. Co-founder Angela Mitchell says "We're proud to have involved dozens of Dragon Age celebrities, artists, devs, and writers, as well as expanding our message internationally, but we're proudest of the way our event gives back, raising over $30,000 USD for charity so far while boosting the call for greater accessibility and diversity in gaming."

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