Dragons are some of the most common creatures to be featured in high fantasy stories, and BioWare’sDragon Ageis no exception. The game is calledDragon Ageafter all, though there was apparently a point in development when it wouldn’t have included dragons at all. Not only that, but there was a time when BioWare didn’t even know what to callDragon Age, and it may have gone by a completely different name.
This has come to light thanks to an interview conducted by TheGamer. As explained byDragon Age: Originslead environmental artist Ian Stubbington, BioWare didn’t know what to call the game early on in its development. And so the team used a random name generator filled with fantasy words and they wound up withDragon Age. The only problem was that the development team had already decided that dragonsweren’tgoing to be in the game.
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The original idea behind theDragon Age: Originsstory was that dragons would have been long extinct, and that the game world in general was many years removed from high fantasy creatures and tropes. But when the team decided on naming the gameDragon Age, they shook things up a bit and incorporated dragons. This included theDarkspawn leader, the menacing Archdemon dragon.
Prior to theDragon AgeArchdemonbecoming a dragon, it was envisioned as a “big, freaky, anime-villain,” according to managing editor Daniel Erickson. Erickson likened the original design for theDragon AgeArchdemon as “Lovecraft doesFinal Fantasy.” Before the team decided to turn the Archdemon into a dragon, they thought they could get by with naming the gameDragon Ageand justifying it by saying that it was equivalent to the in-game Bronze Age or Iron Age, but that didn’t pan out.
HadDragon Age: Originsnot featured dragons, it could’ve resulted in a much different series of games, at least when it comes to some of the high fantasy themes and tropes. But at the end of the day, dragons were added and theDragon Ageseriesbecame the series that fans know and love.
Looking ahead, there’s plenty forDragon Agefans to be excited about. BioWare is actively working onDragon Age 4, which is rumored to be launching at some point in 2023. Whether or not therumoredDragon Age 4release dateis true or not remains to be seen, but fans should be able to look forward to gameplay reveals and more in the months and years leading up to its release.
Dragon Age: Originsis out now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
