BioWare surprised many fans when it gave an update on the next Dragon Age game originally announced in 2022, revealing that its name had been changed to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The announcement of the change came shortly before its full reveal, alongside a blog post by Dragon Age executive producer Gary McKay explaining the reasoning behind the update.

Changing a game's title two years after its announcement is a risky move, but BioWare's statements indicate it wants to emphasize a different part of the game than what Dragon Age: Dreadwolf embodied. Rather than focusing on the game's enemies, Dragon Age: The Veilguard instead embraces the companions that comprise the titular group, who form the heart of the game.

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The Core of Dragon Age: The Veilguard

One of the primary reasons McKay gave for the title change was the shift of focus from the villain to the companions of the game. Alongside the update was the announcement that there would be seven companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and that the change to the title was made to focus on them. The Veilguard refers to the group that comprises the protagonist and their companions, who guard against the destruction of the Veil and the chaos that it would bring. BioWare has indicated that the Veilguard is a small group of just eight members, as opposed to the Inquisition, which was an entire organization with hundreds of individuals.

Aside from the companions comprising the heart of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the title Dragon Age: Dreadwolf didn't seem to encapsulate the breadth of the threat that faces Thedas. BioWare has indicated that Solas is not the only enemy the protagonist will be facing, and the Dragon Age Day trailer, Thedas Calls, heavily implies that the Evanuris will become the larger threat. Developer videos with references to the "evil gods," and references to "the risen gods," as well as an ominous character speaking who isn't Solas corroborate the idea that the Veilguard will be contending with threats far beyond the Dread Wolf, and the old title perhaps never really fit the game.

Beyond Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Much of the marketing for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including trailers, heavily featured Solas as the Dread Wolf. The change of title to Dragon Age: The Veilguard may indicate a shift in the direction of the marketing to instead feature the companions going forward. Changing the name of the game may cause confusion for a short time, but so little information about Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released that it shouldn't affect its release too much at this point. The title of the game is the audience's first association with it, and it needs to give the correct idea and message. Correcting it now, before any significant information has been showcased, was likely the best option than changing it later or not at all.

The protagonist of Dragon Age has changed with every game, so the entire series is about many different characters from all groups, rather than one individual. Naming Dragon Age: The Veilguard after a group rather than an individual, no matter the narrative importance of that individual holds true to the themes of the series as a whole. It establishes itself as a sequel and as a story about a team. As BioWare communicated, hopefully, the new title is more true to the spirit of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and becomes clear to fans as the developer reveals more information.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare, and formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.

Franchise

Dragon Age

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , Microsoft Windows

Developer(s)

BioWare

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Genre(s)

RPG