In BioWare’s most recent Community Update post, fans were treated to a glimpse of some of the codex entries for the upcoming instalment to the Dragon Age franchise: Dreadwolf.
These codex entries are, however, just one aspect of the Community Update. The bulk of the update featured a Q&A with senior writer Sylvia Feketekuty and narrative editor Ryan Cormier as they spoke about the game-writing process. At a time when every player and their dog has something to say about the game development process in the fallout of the GTA 6 leak that took Reddit and Twitter by storm, it is a breath of fresh air to see BioWare opening a platform where their developers to speak candidly about the process of game writing.
BioWare RPGs have become renowned for their deep lore and narrative complexity. Codices have been a long-standing tool in BioWare’s box for writers to communicate supplementary information that makes the world feel lived-in and nuanced. Feketekuty mentions how the “in-world” nature of the codex entries adds an additional layer of complexity to the world, while also giving the player some further insights into the character that penned the entry.
The Community Update was especially keen to point out that, while BioWare’s games can boast deep lore and narrative complexity, the team still maintains a commitment to accessibility in their stories, so newcomers need not feel deterred. Cormier remarked that “It’s a varied audience, and development for Dreadwolf has included conversations about how the team can simultaneously reward our returning fans and welcome new ones.”
Fans have already flocked to Twitter, speculating on some of the redacted names found in the codices. They put to work the detective skills that we can come to expect from such a dedicated fan base. These speculations have ranged from fan-favourite Dwarven writer Varric Tethras to the less familiar Warden Davrin as potential mentions in Misconceptions about the Necropolis.
It is worth noting that these speculations have only the barest glimpse of a V/W and an estimated 13-14 character space to go on, but that has certainly never stopped BioWare fans before.
There is currently no release date for Dreadwolf, but fans seeking a Dragon Age fix can look forward to Absolution, coming to Netflix in December 2022.
Words by Leon Hewitt
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.