Dragon Age 4 was revealed years ago as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. However, with just a few months until the game launches in fall 2024, BioWare announced that it was changing the name to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Before this announcement, Game Informer visited BioWare’s Edmonton office for an exclusive look at the game for our Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story. It was here that we learned the name had changed.
I interviewed several Veilguard executives for the cover story, and one of the first questions I asked each of them was, “Why did the name change?” Here’s what everyone told me:
BioWare leads name change to Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Corinne Busche, game director Veilguard: “First of all, I would say that these games are a reflection of the teams that make them, and as part of that, that means that we learn a lot about what the heart and soul of the game really is as we go along. as we developed it And we quickly learned and realized that the beating heart of this game is these authentic diverse companions When we take a step back, as we always do, we always check our decisions and make sure they are. still represent the game that we are. It just felt like we needed a title that really represented what this game was.
Now I want to be clear: I love Solas (and) he plays an important role in the game, but this is not a game about Solas. So in everything we do, trying to capture that authentic experience, we felt like the title really needed to change. »
John Epler, creative director of Veilguard: “Dragon Age has always been about the characters, not just the villains, but also your team, your companions, the other characters in the world. And as we were building Dragon Age: The Veilguard, there was this analogy that I likes to use, which” is: “If you want to carve an elephant out of marble, you just take a piece of marble and remove everything that doesn’t look like an elephant” As we built. this game, it became very clear that we were less trying to create The Veilguard than The Veilguard was taking shape as we built the game.
Solas is still a central figure. He’s still an important character. But in reality, the focus now is on the team. It’s about the people you recruit. It’s about stopping the end of the world with this group of specialists, these incredibly interesting and diverse characters that you recruit to your team. (We) realized that Dreadwolf suggested a title focused on a specific individual, whereas The Veilguard, much like Inquisition, focuses more on the team.
Gary McKay, CEO of BioWare: “First of all, let me say: Solas is still an integral part of this game. That absolutely doesn’t mean he takes a back seat. But when we thought about what the heartbeat really was of this game, we really saw the companions jump out at us I think you could argue that (these companions) are the best the franchise has ever seen. We have seven incredibly unique characters, each with their own personality, their own motivations. , its deep stories, and you have the opportunity to really interact with these characters in a way that both shapes their story but also influences the main story, until you have the opportunity to have a. impact on their destiny.
It’s not just the story; they are also an integral part of the gameplay. And so when you look at the heart of this game, the centerpiece of the game, it’s about the companions – the Veilguard. We felt the title needed to reflect what we thought was the centerpiece of this game.”
Mark Darrah, former Dragon Age executive producer and Veilguard consultant: “I think it’s absolutely the right choice. The names can gain momentum. You could say that this game has sort of, in a way, been called Dreadwolf since its beginning. As the game was evolving, as (BioWare) envisioned. To know exactly what it was, it’s very mature to step back and say, “We called it that, does that really still reflect what is the game? And I think the fact that the team was willing to take this step is incredible, and I think it’s absolutely the right decision.”
The Solas in the bedroom
When I ask about Solas’ role in the story after learning that his namesake is no longer in the game’s title, Darrah says that Veilguard continues to take the Elven God’s narrative in the right direction. He adds: “This will hopefully allow us to give a good conclusion to all the varied attitudes towards Solas that will come from people who love Solas, who agree with Solas, who hate Solas, people who want to throw Solas off a building – I think we give you the opportunity to end that, but then tell a bigger story about The Veilguard and the world as a whole.
Chatting with Epler, I learn more that Solas isn’t exactly the big bad I expected before seeing Veilguard’s opening hours. There are many more nuances to everyone’s favorite bald elf.
“The most interesting villains to me, and honestly to most people, don’t just say ‘I want to end the world.’ To them, they are the heroes of the story, and Solas is no exception “, Epler told me. “Solas still feels like he’s a tragic hero but a hero nonetheless, so he comes into this situation firmly believing that what he did, what you stopped him from doing, was the right thing – that you made a mistake But now he’s trapped and can’t reach out and actively affect (Thedas), so he has to work with you.
“It allows us to bring a lot of nuance to that relationship,” Epler says.
If you’re wondering what Epler means when he says Solas is trapped, it’s quite literal: in the game’s prologue, part of BioWare’s recently released 20-minute gameplay segment (the video above ), player character Rook and his companions Lace Harding, Varric Tethras, and Neve Gallus stop Solas’s attempt to destroy the Veil, a barrier between the magical Fade and Thedas. I won’t spoil exactly what happens here, but Rook passes out moments later and wakes up in a dreamscape with the voice of Solas himself…because he’s trapped here.
He explains that he was trying to move the Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, both of whom are part of the Evanuris or elven gods of old, to a new prison because the old one no longer contained them properly. Unfortunately for Solas, he is trapped here – the Fade – because of us and Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain are free, destroyed and wandering Thedas. It’s up to Rook to stop them, but it looks like they’ll have to work with Solas (or at least listen to his advice) to do so.
“So one of the principles that we adopted when we were building the story of The Veilguard at the beginning was that we wanted the beginning of the game to feel like the final chapter of an earlier story and you just get to the end , you “You come in like you’re chasing Solas – the (Solas at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC) who said he was going to end the world and tear down the Veil,” Epler adds.
Epler says players will see early on (and as the narrative develops in Veilguard) that Solas sees a lot of himself in you, the player-controlled Tower, particularly “the parts he doesn’t like.” maybe not face it.” As a result, there’s an interesting back and forth between Solas and Rook. He says players can define the relationship between these two characters through their dialogue choices.
“You can continue to be suspicious and hostile towards him, or you can start to see him and find that common ground, that connection between the two of you, and really develop a different relationship over the course of the story,” says Epler .
For more on the game, including exclusive details, interviews, video features and more, click the Dragon Age: The Veilguard hub button below.