While there isn’t much known about what exactly Dragon Age 4 will look like, plenty of devotees to the series are a bit nervous about some of Bioware’s comments on the game. In the past, there have been mentions that Dragon Age 4 is going to have “live service” aspects. Over the last few years, that particular type of game has occasionally received a bad rap to varying degrees. The reasons for that include one project BioWare is famous for effectively abandoning not long after it released.
When talking about “games as a service,” there are plenty of titles that are absolutely a success. Others, like Anthem, are pointed to as the reason players are averse to this particular type of game. Anthem arrived in January of 2019, as something that looked an awful lot like Destiny 2, but with mechs. While there were certain aspects that stood out as positive, there were far more negatives for Anthem, and it took a couple of months for EA to admit that the title wasn’t meeting expectations. As the player count dropped, BioWare promised improvements were on the way in what is being called Anthem 2.0, but now there’s doubt whether the revamp will ever happen.
BioWare fans tend to be devoted to the point where they follow all breaking news about upcoming games, so most are well aware of Anthem‘s failure. It makes sense that they would then get nervous about a potentially similar direction for Dragon Age 4. However, just because developer has mentioned live service aspects doesn’t mean it’s going to be a bonafide disaster. Offering up live service components in a game, at its heart, can simply mean a title is going to be getting support post-launch. That’s certainly the case with The Division 2, which will be receiving content updates through 2022 at least.
No, BioWare’s Anthem doesn’t have the same reputation that Ubisoft Massive’s The Division 2 does currently. BioWare has moved on from projects quicker than its supported long-term over the last few years. However, that doesn’t mean BioWare is giving up. These days, a game like Destiny 2 can serve as an example of a good game with live service aspects. That game, and its predecessor, both had bumpy launches. The longer the game continued getting developer support, the better it got.
People are hoping the same can be said for Marvel’s Avengers in 2021. Square Enix’s big live service game has had quite a few struggles since it’s release. However, unlike BioWare with Anthem, Square and Crystal Dynamics appear to be taking a different approach to trying to make things right. There’s been quite a bit of talk about the heroes and missions the Avengers is going to get this year. Some who were invested in the game early on, only to see player counts drop over time, are hopeful again.
There is, of course, a big question whether BioWare will look at what Square is doing with Marvel’s Avengers and decide to do the same with Dragon Age 4. BioWare fans probably thought it would right the ship when Anthem got off to its rocky start. There’s also the chance that Dragon Age 4 won’t be anything like The Division 2, Destiny 2, or Avengers. That could be very good news, depending on how Anthem 2.0 shakes out. There’s another recent release that could be a model that might make players quite happy.
What if BioWare decided to go in the direction of another Ubisoft game? Assassin’s Creed Valhalla continues to add content, even if users don’t usually think of Eivor’s travels when they hear the phrase “live service” mentioned. In fact, when it comes to Assassin’s Creed games in general, they are all adding aspects of “live service” titles with post-launch content. The last couple in the series has added a ton of stuff in paid DLC and free content additions.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla stands out as the next stage in Ubisoft’s strategy. The company has said Valhalla is going to get more post-launch content than any other Assassin’s Creed that came before it. That doesn’t necessarily mean the developers are doing everything right, but it could be taken as a kind of roadmap/foundation for Dragon Age 4. If talk of live service simply means that there’s going to be a ton of things to see and do long after the game eventually launches, that’s only a good thing. Those who are the most dedicated to the Dragon Age series will be content with receiving more Dragon Age 4 content than perhaps expected.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla fans recently voiced their displeasure over microtransactions featured in the game. In this day and age, those who are upset over what Ubisoft is doing with those microtransactions likely understand that these in-game purchases are largely optional. As long as the microtransactions aren’t making a “pay to win” proposition for Valhalla, these microtransactions aren’t woefully unacceptable. The bottom line is that players are willing to buy the extra armor and unique weapons, as it’s one way the developer is able to continue producing content those players want to see.
The bottom line is that the outcry over BioWare’s latest potentially being a live service game is a bit overblown at this point. There’s very little known about Dragon Age 4 besides the setting and the “big bad.” Indeed, it feels like there are quite a bit more questions than answers about the upcoming installment in the series. BioWare fans should wait and see what answers BioWare offers, before they decide the company has already made a mistake taking the latest Dragon Age entry in a “live service” direction.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.
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