While we're never all too sure what each Bioware studio might be working on in secret, there's one project that hasn't really kept itself under wraps all that well - Dragon Age
It's been around 3 years since the release of its last entry - Dragon Age Inquisition. But we've known of a continuation since at least late last year. Having identified a rare case of the Edmonton hiring a remote writer in Alexis Kennedy - based back in the UK - Eurogamer saw a unique opportunity to learn more about the process of writing a game when the vast amount of your work team starts their day as you wrap up yours..
Between heading up Stellaris' story DLC, Sunless Sea and any number of other titles, Kennedy is now more or less confirmed to be working on a new Dragon Age game. Based in the UK means he can't usually get answers to his daily questions until far later into the afternoon. The Bioware group back in Canada conduct their meetings in the early morning and likely end their day in the early hours of British Summer Time.
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But just how much work is he being given? With working in-tandem with the in-house Dragon Age team being a problem of both time and distance, there's a good chance he's working on something befitting of that issue
Asked the all-important question by Eurogamer, Kennedy said; "... I have been given considerable autonomy to work on a storyline bit of lore which is well-segregated from other parts of the game, which makes a lot of sense with me being remote." Finishing a big portion of some specific writing often means sitting in silence why the rest of the writing staff offer constructive feedback. The silence is key - and mandatory - apparently leading to better quality criticism and remarks.
After a while, the interview turns into questions about Bioware itself. Although usually hailed as a high-point for LGBT inclusion within video games, Kennedy notes that Bioware often "takes shit from both sides." when it comes to each of their games. Often expected to put out masterpiece after masterpiece, Kennedy has noticed people typically go through a "pissed off with BioWare' faze," of which he argues is down to the your expectations of pass achievements never being met because "the you of three years ago, no longer exists." And he's probably right.
While there's every chance this new Dragon Age adventure could be announced in just a few weeks time on the stages of E3, having the writers still playing a vital role in active development could suggest it's still a little too early to let this cat out of the bag. It certainly exists, but it's still closely guarded secret - sort of. And you know what they say - knowing is half the battle (but reading the full interview here might help)