The past few "new" releases from BioWare have sullied the company's name to the point that many are looking for its redemption arc of sorts. Anthem, for example, had failed to deliver on multiple fronts, despite exciting fans the world over. Its reboot, Anthem 2.0, has been officially cancelled, so there's no real future there. At the same time, the release before that was Mass Effect: Andromeda, and while its reception did warm up over time, many may still be stuck in Andromeda's earliest days.
However, that tide has turned if only slightly. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was the remaster fans wanted and the company needed, as not only did many fans jump over to an improved Andromeda after playing it, but hype for Dragon Age 4 and Mass Effect 4 hit a fever pitch. In these two titles, BioWare has the opportunity to put BioWare Magic and its disappointing releases behind it, with recent reports also giving fans hints as to when these new titles may release.
Dragon Age 4 in 2023?
Per GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb, Dragon Age 4 will release in 2023. Since it's not straight out of BioWare's mouth, fans should take this information with a grain of salt, but it makes sense. Since Dragon Age 4 was first teased back in 2018, information on it has been slow and not so steady. Concept art and teasers are all that have been shown, so it's hardly pre-release marketing. As it stands, that'll likely start up in 2022 in full, with the game releasing in 2023. This would put the game releasing 5 years after its initial teaser and 9 years since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014.
It should be noted that, before the current form of Dragon Age 4 went into development, there was another project, dubbed Joplin, that would have been Dragon Age 4. However, the game was scrapped and the process began anew. Either way, while the wait may be longer than some anticipated (at least according to this report), many would rather see BioWare get Dragon Age 4 just right instead of rushing it. This means fans will have to wait until 2023 to get hands on the game, but as more and more information becomes available throughout 2022, the wait will likely become more bearable. Perhaps the marketing in full could start even sooner than that, as The Game Awards take place in December, and it seems both Dragon Age and Mass Effect like its stage.
Mass Effect 4 in 2025?
Just as Dragon Age 4 was first shown on The Game Award's stage in 2018, the new Mass Effect game was first teased at the Game Awards in 2020. And although it may be more coincidental than it seems, it stands to reason that Mass Effect in 2020 was akin to Dragon Age in 2018. The two projects were very likely at similar stages of development then; otherwise, why even show one or the other when BioWare did? This information, while speculative, could be used to extrapolate a few things.
If Dragon Age 4 is getting released in 2023, that's 5 years after the initial tease. That logic applied to Mass Effect would mean that the next game wouldn't release until 2025. Concept art for it, like what Dragon Age 4 is doing now, could pick up around 2023 just as Dragon Age 4 releases. Thus, pre-release marketing could then begin in 2024 with release in 2025. That seems like the earliest possible release window, but it should also be noted that it's impossible to predict the future.
As such, the one thing that is clear is that Mass Effect won't release until after Dragon Age 4. If Dragon Age 4 releases in 2023, it stands to reason that Mass Effect is a couple of years behind it. It'll be interesting to see what comes of all this, but if true, then it sounds like the mid-2020s could feature the return to prominence BioWare needs.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.