It has been nearly eight years since Dragon Age: Inquisition launched as the most recent full game in Bioware’s acclaimed RPG series and nearly four years since an unnamed sequel was first teased at the 2018 Game Awards. On Thursday, developer BioWare revealed an official title for that sequel—Dragon Age: Dreadwolf—and confirmed the game won’t be coming until 2023 at the earliest.

In a brief blog post, BioWare confirmed the new game will focus on antagonist Solas, the mysterious elven hedge mage who was introduced as the Dread Wolf in Inquisition. Solas was also central to that game’s 2015 Trespasser DLC and featured heavily in a four-minute Gamescom 2020 behind-the-scenes featurette on the game.

In its announcement, BioWare describes Solas as someone whose “motives are inscrutable and his methods sometimes questionable, earning him a reputation as something of a trickster deity—a player of dark and dangerous games.” The developer also insists that “if you’re new to Dragon Age, you have no need to worry about not having met our antagonist just yet. He’ll properly introduce himself when the time is right.”

BioWare references that 2018 teaser in writing, saying that “we suspect you have questions and they’ll be answered in time.” More information on the game is promised later this year, though the game itself won’t be released in 2022.

The trickle of new Dragon Age details comes as BioWare has largely ignored the franchise in recent years in favor of sci-fi epics like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. Last year, Bloomberg reported that EA had been pushing an online multiplayer focus for the upcoming sequel but had pivoted to a single-player game after the success of Jedi: Fallen Order and the relative failure of the multiplayer-focused Anthem.
Dreadwolf will be the first Dragon Age release since the departure of BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson and franchise Executive Producer Mark Darrah in late 2020. Darrah was replaced as executive producer by Bioware Austin studio head Christian Dailey, who then announced he was leaving a few months ago. The game’s current developers include Game Director Corinne Busche, Production Director Mac Walters, and Director of Product Development Benoît Houle, all overseen by BioWare General Manager Gary McKay. https://arstechnica.com/?p=1857871