EA Dampens Expectations for Dragon Age: Origins Remaster - Ex-BioWare Employee Discloses Insights Regarding Dragon Age and Mass Effect Franchise Behind-the-scenes
In the world of gaming, Electronic Arts (EA) has made a decision to not proceed with a remastered trilogy of the popular Dragon Age series. Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah, who was involved in the initial pitch, has shed light on the reasons behind EA's decision.
Darrah revealed that BioWare had proposed a remastered "Champions Trilogy" bundle, which would include Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. The aim was to rekindle interest in the franchise and introduce it to new players. However, EA declined the proposal, with Darrah noting that EA "has historically been kind of against remasters."
One of the main reasons for EA's rejection was the technical complexity involved. Each of the three Dragon Age games was built on different graphics engines, requiring a dedicated team and significant resources for the remaster. EA was unwilling to allocate these resources, especially as BioWare was occupied with other projects. This competition for resources was described by Darrah as potentially leading to "open warfare over resources."
Another factor was the commercial disappointment of Dragon Age: Veilguard, a new entry in the series. The game failed to meet EA's sales expectations by a large margin, likely contributing to EA’s reluctance to invest in revitalizing the series via remasters.
Remasters of classic games have proven to be huge financial successes. Bethesda Softwork's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, for instance, was the best-selling game of April 2025, garnered generally positive reviews, and gathered over 4 million players shortly after its launch.
Meanwhile, EA has a history of letting franchises other than Mass Effect, Battlefield, and sports games languish. Examples of games that were killed off prematurely by EA include Dead Space, Dante's Inferno, and Anthem.
Despite EA's decision, other studios are carrying on BioWare's spiritual torch in the RPG genre. Studios such as Owlcat Games and Larian Studios are creating new RPG experiences that are captivating players worldwide.
As for EA and BioWare, they are currently focusing on other projects. The upcoming shooter Battlefield 6, developed by a coalition of studios, is shaping up to be one of Battlefield's best entries. And while there's no official word on a Dragon Age remaster, the remastered collection of Mass Effect games, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, has been well-received by fans.
References: 1. VentureBeat 2. GameSpot 3. Polygon 4. IGN 5. Kotaku
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