14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, BioWare, as the developer, and Electronic Arts, as the publisher, announced that they are developing Dragon Age 2, a new entry in the original franchise they launched in 2009. Initial reports suggested that the game might arrive as early as February of next year but a statement from the two companies has made it clear that Dragon Age 2 will be launched in March 2011 on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the PC.
New information confirms the main characters will now have an official name, Hawke, with the game tracking how he rose from the status of refugee to that of the most powerful being in the world of Dragon Age. Hawke is said to have survived the Blight and is the Champion of Kirkwall. The game is set to take place over a time frame of ten years, which suggests that BioWare is preparing a game experience that will see each choice of the gamer played out before his eyes as the world evolves and changes.
Dr. Ray Muzyka, senior vice president of Electronic Arts and co-founder and group general manager of BioWare, stated, “Last year’s launch of Dragon Age: Origins was one of the most successful in BioWare’s 15-year history and one of the most successful new IP launches in the 28 year history of EA. Dragon Age 2 will simultaneously deliver an epic story and set a new bar for intense action in the genre. We're very excited to deliver this next bold evolution in the Dragon Age franchise to our fans.”
Mark Darrah, who is the executive producer working on Dragon Age 2, emphasized the idea that the new iteration in the series would offer a new “entry point” in the game universe, which suggests that the familiar areas of the first experience will not be returning, while offering the usual better graphics, a new complex story and a more dynamic combat system.