Despite rumors that the series had been put on hold after Dishonored 2 released in 2016, Arkane Studio’s Dinga Bakaba claimed earlier this year that the developer had merely finished the Kaldwin saga, leaving the door open for future stories in the game’s universe. Dishonored 3 could put players in the shoes of new characters with a very different perspective on the Empire of the Isles.
When it comes to storytelling, Arkane should look at one apparent focus of BioWare’s upcoming fantasy RPG Dragon Age 4. Though the series' mechanics vastly differ, there is one aspect that BioWare has focused on in its marketing for the next Dragon Age that could also provide an interesting springboard for Arkane to launch a new story in Dishonored 3.
Dragon Age 4’s Protagonist
BioWare has made a point of focusing on its new protagonist in Dragon Age 4’s recent marketing material. The studio released two videos, one at Gamescom and one at The Game Awards 2020, both of which appeared to communicate a change in direction for the player character.
In the Gamescom Dragon Age video, a developer commented that Dragon Age 4’s protagonist would explore “what happens when you don’t have power.” In The Game Awards trailer, fan-favorite Dragon Age companion Varric Tethras narrated a voice over which claimed that the next game’s hero would have “no magic hand” and “no ancient prophecy” to back them up.
The magic hand line is a clear reference to the Inquisitor, the player character in Dragon Age: Inquisition. At the start of the game, the Inquisitor is launched from zero to hero when an early attempt to stop Inquisition’s villain Corypheus leaves them with a glowing green mark known as the “Anchor” which lets them close rifts that have opened between the material realm and the realm of magic.
From this fans might infer that BioWare’s focus on a powerless protagonist means that Dragon Age 4’s player character will not find themself at the center of the story because they fulfill some chosen one archetype. After all, it’s likely that Dragon Age 4’s protagonist will have power in some sense – if nothing else they already have the support of Varric, the Viscount of Kirkwall. However, the game will likely try to develop a more natural and rewarding story where the player’s actions feel more directly related to their fate.
The Dishonored Protagonists
Arkane could learn from BioWare’s apparent plan to portray a player character who rises from nothing to have a central role in the fate of Thedas and the overarching story of the Dread Wolf. In the main campaigns of the first two Dishonored games, players take up the roles of characters who begin in positions of immense power in their worlds.
In the first game, players take on the role of Corvo Attano, the Royal Protector – and lover – of an Empress whose assassination kicks of the plot. Dishonored is a fantastic stealth series, but for a setting which depicts its people suffering from overwhelming poverty, plague, and constant religious inquisitions, the story takes a strangely uncritical view of its royal family.
Corvo spends the game attempting to restore Emily Kaldwin, his daughter, to the throne. When the other loyalists betray him and attempt to install themselves as the Empire’s true leaders, the solution is still to save Emily and restore the rightful heir. In Dishonored 2, players can choose between playing as Corvo or Emily herself as one of them fights back against a brand-new coup, this time by the witch Delilah Copperspoon. Corvo and Emily are certainly fun characters to play as, and their position in high society allows for the introduction of fantastic secondary characters like painter and inventor Anton Sokolov, a brilliant blend of Leonardo da Vinci and Grigori Rasputin. However, Dishonored 3 should present an alternate perspective, one which is less top-down.
The world of Dishonored is packed full of reasons to be critical of the Empire and its rulers. The peripheral nations of the Isles like Morley have no say in their participation in the Empire. Morley’s relationship with the heart of the Empire is based on the relationship Britain had with Ireland during the 1800s, with Morley suffering a famine hinted to be the result of a naval blockade used to put down an uprising.
Other parts of Dishonored’s Empire like Tyvia make extensive use of gulag-style prison camps in the frozen wilderness, a practice which isn’t indicated to have ended under Emily’s reign despite the prosperity she brought to Dunwall. The Empire’s official religion – the Abbey of the Everyman – is shown to be brutal in its pursuit of the unholy, intimidating and torturing citizens. In other words, there are plenty of good reasons that an anti-monarchist player character could be extremely sympathetic in Dishonored 3.
The Future of Dishonored
Even if Dishonored 3’s new player character isn’t put at direct odds with the Empire of the Isles, Arkane should explore the perspective of those characters who unlike Corvo and Emily suffer under the status quo. The game’s have already explored non-royal viewpoints like Daud and Billie Lurk in the game’s DLCs, but if Dishonored 3 is really going to distinguish itself from the Kaldwin saga, the next game should focus on “what happens when you don’t have power” in the world of Dishonored, just as BioWare wants to explore a similar idea in Dragon Age’s setting.
It’s unlikely that fans will be seeing Dishonored 3 for a while, however. Currently, Arkane Studios is working on Deathloop, a game which will put them in the role of an assassin stuck in a time loop. The game will use utilize stealth and free-running like Dishonored, and its development and reception could also significantly alter the path of Dishonored 3.
Nonetheless, if Dishonored 3 is in the pipeline after Deathloop, the game should center a different perspective from the royal viewpoint seen in the games so far. If it does players could return to the vast and fascinating world of Dishonored, while seeing its familiar sights with a fresh pair of eyes.
Dragon Age 4 is currently in development by BioWare.