BioWare's Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is arguably the most anticipated Dragon Age title yet, as it has already been six years since its announcement and nearly a decade since the launch of the last Dragon Age game. Very little has been disclosed about the next installment, but BioWare is planning a full reveal of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf for this summer that should give fans a good taste of what it will bring to the franchise.

Despite their obvious differences, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf once shared an unfortunate similarity with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Rocksteady Studios' latest ambitious addition to its Arkhamverse. As Kill the Justice League has underperformed on a rather grand scale, however, it's fortunate that Dreadwolf managed to evade a bullet that has nearly fatally wounded Kill the Justice League and left its player count trickling off to a very minuscule number less than a month after its release.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Hasn't Done Well as a Live-Service Game

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has had a rough go of it so far in 2024. Perhaps expectations were set too high, but it's most likely due to the game possessing a feature that has burned many gamers in the past: the infamous live-service model. Before its February 2 launch, Rocksteady began divulging information about Kill the Justice League, including that it would follow a live-service model in an attempt to extend the game's lifespan and retain its players for months on end. This struck fear into the hearts of many, forcing Kill the Justice League into an uphill battle. Unfortunately, those fears were realized shortly following the game's release.

Kill the Justice League hasn't been all bad, as it proved to be a rather entertaining experience for a while. Unfortunately, as days went on, many critics expressed their disappointment with the live-service content, acknowledging its repetitive mission design. This notion has been largely felt across Kill the Justice League's player base, leading to the game retaining only about 5% of its initial players before the end of its first month. While there is still hope for Kill the Justice League with its seasonal roadmap still intact, things don't look so good for it at the moment. This is the bullet that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf may have only narrowly dodged during its development.

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Was Almost a Live-Service Game

Perhaps unbeknownst to some, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf was almost a live-service game. This would have been a massive shakeup for the franchise, as no other Dragon Age game before it had ever attempted such a feat. Development for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf began in 2015 under the codename "Joplin." However, when BioWare began experiencing a lot of setbacks with the development of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, much of the staff assigned to "Joplin" were transferred over to assist in their development, putting "Joplin" on the back burner until after Andromeda's release. Shortly after, BioWare and EA canceled "Joplin", with the reason reportedly being because its "live service component" wasn't conducive to their goals.

There's no way of knowing how a live-service model would have affected Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, simply because developers often approach the model from different standpoints. Live-service games are notorious for having bland, repetitive content, and it's possible Dreadwolf would have garnered the same judgment. Still, there are some live-service games, like Destiny 2 and Final Fantasy 14, that have stood the test of time due to the hard work and dedication of their developers, and Dreadwolf might have been able to accomplish the same. Even so, it's more likely that Dreadwolf is on the right side of development now that its live-service model is buried in its past.

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is the fourth game in the franchise, serving as a direct sequel to the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Players will attempt to stop Solas from tearing down the Veil, among other possibly major plot points. Its events see players travel to Tevinter, the Anderfels, Rivain, and Antiva.

Franchise

Dragon Age

Developer(s)

BioWare

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts