EA Rejected Proposals for Dragon Age: Origins Remake and Remaster Projects

Mark Darrah Reveals EA’s Stance on Dragon Age Remakes

In a recent interview with YouTuber MrMattyPlays, Mark Darrah, a former veteran of BioWare, disclosed that Electronic Arts (EA) has consistently dismissed various proposals from the studio aimed at remaking or remastering Dragon Age: Origins, along with its sequels, Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Potential for a Trilogy Rebranding

During the discussion, Darrah mentioned, “I’m not pitching a Dragon Age to EA right now. Honestly, I think they should pursue a remaster of the original three games. One of our softer pitches was to retroactively present them as a trilogy, which we envisioned calling the Champions Trilogy. This would feature iconic heroes: the Hero of Ferelden, the Champion of Kirkwall, and the Inquisitor.” He suggested that EA could enhance these titles and possibly include Dragon Age: Veilguard, releasing them to gauge community reactions.

Challenges with Remastering

As an Executive Producer for the initial three Dragon Age games and a consultant for the fourth entry in the series, Darrah noted EA’s historical reluctance toward undertaking remasters. He pointed out that the success of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition benefitted from the common Unreal Engine technology that powered all those titles. However, each Dragon Age game utilized different engines: the proprietary Eclipse Engine for Origins, the upgraded Lycium Engine for Dragon Age II, and Frostbite for Inquisition.

EA’s Reluctance and the Complexity of Dragon Age

Darrah expressed confusion regarding EA’s attitude towards remasters, stating, “It’s puzzling for a publicly traded company to essentially avoid revenue opportunities.” He further explained that remastering Dragon Age appears to be a more complex endeavor than Mass Effect, potentially stemming from the varying technologies each title used. This complexity makes it “unknowably harder”to successfully undertake remakes or remasters.

Exploring Opportunities for a Remake

At the concept stage for Joplin, one of the initial ideas was to utilize Frostbite tools and collaborate with a capable mod house to recreate Dragon Age: Origins. Darrah highlighted the numerous discussions revolving around the potential of uplifting and modernizing the classic title.

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