BioWare Discusses Dragon Age: Inquisition Multiplayer and Following Mass Effect 3

Multiplayer Weekend Events

During a live stream broadcast from the Eurogamer Expo, BioWare’s Neil Thompson offered some details on the studio’s thinking for Dragon Age: Inquisition’s four-player cooperative multiplayer. He was asked whether Inquisition would feature the same kind of regular weekend support that became a hallmark of Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer experience. That game’s “N7 Weekend Operations” were timed events that gave the community specific objectives to complete, fostering a dedicated player base long after its release in March 2012. These operations were a key part of its post-launch success.

Thompson revealed that a similar schedule of events was not yet a confirmed feature for Dragon Age: Inquisition. He confessed that the team had not yet made concrete plans for it. However, he was positive about the concept, calling it a “good idea” and stating that it was something the team could still organize. His comments suggested that while BioWare’s immediate priority was the game’s launch, the studio was actively considering the successful live service model from its previous title. The final decision on post-launch multiplayer events seemed to be pending the game’s reception.

The Challenge of Following Mass Effect 3

The conversation also touched on the internal studio pressure to create a game that could live up to the legacy of Mass Effect 3. Thompson was frank about the challenge, describing the effort to follow such a commercially and critically successful title as “daunting.” He highlighted that the Dragon Age: Inquisition team was composed of many of the same developers who had worked on Mass Effect 3. This overlap in personnel meant the team was acutely aware of the high standard they had set and were now expected to meet or exceed with a different franchise.

Despite the weight of these expectations, Thompson communicated a strong sense of confidence in the project. He referred to both Dragon Age and Mass Effect as “fantastic franchises,” emphasizing their equal importance to BioWare’s identity. He asserted that the studio viewed Dragon Age: Inquisition as a “worthy successor,” a statement of belief in the game’s quality and its ability to satisfy a demanding audience. This development was occurring while another BioWare team was working on a new entry in the Mass Effect universe, which had been confirmed not to be a direct sequel to the original trilogy.

Release Date and Platforms

Dragon Age: Inquisition was scheduled for a worldwide release on November 18, 2014. The role-playing game was a significant cross-generational release for publisher Electronic Arts and BioWare. It was developed to launch simultaneously on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, while also being available for the large install bases of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.