2024 was an incredible year for BioWare andDragon Age: The Veilguardfans. Many were skeptical thatDragon Age 4would ever manifest, but it did, drawing a close to Solas' plan to tear down the Veil and setting up the future of the franchise. Now, fans can only hope that they don’t have to wait another ten years forthe nextDragon Agegame. BioWare is, of course, hard at work on its next title, the nextMass Effectgame, and it seems likely that the nextDragon Agegame would come after. Still, both franchises paint a pretty picture for the future of BioWare.
The role 2025 will play in that remains to be seen, but based on its development cycles, the direction forDragon Age: The Veilguard,and what’s known aboutMass Effect 5so far, it does seem like it will be a quiet year. For instance, it seems like the year will be more akin to 2020-early 2023 than it will be late 2023-2024. This is normal for any studio, but fans should make sure they keep expectations in check going into next year.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Support Will Come to an End, Sooner Rather Than Later
Many fans wantDragon Age: The Veilguardto get DLC, if only to spend a little more time in Northern Thedas, but BioWare has reiterated time and again that there is no DLC currently in the works. Sure, BioWare could change its mind, but that isn’t likely to drop in 2025 if development has not already begun. And if it’s not going to drop in 2025, it doesn’t seem likely to happen at all. On top of that, many BioWare devs have seemingly been reassigned, either to work onMass Effect 5or to assist EA Motive withIron Man. As a result, it seems things will slow down forDragon Age: The Veilguardin 2025, as is natural for a single-player game.
Fans can probably expect a couple more updates in the new year, perhaps even a handful, but by the end of 2025, it seems likely that BioWare will be full steam ahead onMass Effect 5. As it stands, most of its resources are likely aimed in that direction, as is. One thing that would be great to see added toDragon Age: The Veilguardis the Golden Nug, and that’s probably as big as any update for the game will be,if that. Still, fans have a newDragon Agegame after years of waiting, and that itself is a reason to enter 2025 happy.
Once I have completed every romance in The Veilguard, I intend to do a complete Dragon Age run sometime next year: Dragon Age: Origins + DLCs (and obviously Awakening), Dragon Age 2 + DLC, Dragon Age: Inquisition + DLC, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It is a long journey but one that will no doubt be fun with the new context provided by The Veilguard.
Dragon Age Day 2025?
Beyond updates,BioWare will likely celebrate Dragon Age Dayall the same. This year all eyes were onDragon Age: The Veilguard, even for N7 Day, so fans should probably expect smaller, more franchise-wide announcements and events. It is a full year away, of course, but BioWare will likely have something for fans. Fingers crossed for maybe theWorld of Thedas Vol. 3announcement, but ultimately, the further into 2025 we get, the quieter fans can expect BioWare to be on theDragon Agefront.
What’s Known About Mass Effect 5 Development
The inverse is that fans can reasonably expect BioWare to be a little more vocal aboutMass Effect 5the further fans get into 2025. This will likely be marginal, but as BioWare’s focus shifts, so too will its marketing. It’s not like BioWare has been entirely quiet on theMass Effect 5front, giving a few updates here and there. Hopefully, BioWare continues to be open and transparent about its development, as the BioWare blog released a few details aboutDragon Age: The Veilguardlong before full marketing kicked up.
The most concrete update BioWare fans have received was theN7 Day blog back in 2022, which said that “pre-production development has been proceeding very well.” It is uncertain how farMass Effect 5has come since then, and while it’s possible it has entered full development since then, that’s impossible to know for sure. Some reports indicate that it is intended to enter full development in 2023, but whether that happens or not is up in the air. Hopefully, at the very least, fans can expect a development update in 2025 - especially with this pre-production development, the various teases, and the team’s shift afterThe Veilguard.
Already, fans have been treated toseveral teasers aboutMass Effect 5over the years, typically during N7 Day or at The Game Awards.
Mass Effect 5 Teaser Recap
Mass Effect 5 Should Make An Appearance in 2025
With the focus at BioWare shifting towardMass Effect 5, fans should receive some sort of update in 2025. This will most likely be dependent on how far into development the game is, but at the very least, fans can perhaps expect a blog update, a tease for N7 Day, and/or something atThe Game Awards 2025. Notably, fans should expect these updates later in the year (though, again, dependent on how far into development it is), but at least an appearance or two is a reasonable expectation. The depth of these showcases, however, should come without expectations. The first one, which could also be the only one, would set the tone for reveals in 2025 and suggest what comes thereafter in terms of how much BioWare is ready to show.
The Future of BioWare
Back in 2021,BioWare canceled all updates onAnthem. Anthemwas, for many, the biggest disappointment to come out of the studio, even more so thanMass Effect: Andromeda. Some still wanted BioWare to fulfill the IP’s potential, but the decision was made to focus the studio onDragon AgeandMass Effect, as well as providing support and updates forStar Wars: The Old Republic. While saddening, it was an understandable move. BioWare regained some lost goodwill withMass Effect: Legendary Edition, and while Dragon Age: The Veilguard is not a perfect game, it is a solid, great, fantastic entry in the franchise. The needle, if it moved at all, could only shift toward the positive afterThe Veilguard’s release. In 2023, it was announced that BioWare was handing offStar Wars: The Old Republicto Broadsword, freeing up resources and suggesting its future relies on its flagship single-player IPs.
It’s impossible to predict accurately what even happen in 2025, insteadhopingand managing expectations, but based on all the developments of the last few years, it would seem that BioWare’s focus continues. Fans can expectMass Effect 5as its next game, and presumably, the nextDragon AgeandMass Effectgames beyond that. Smaller projects may happen between any of these, but that’s hard to say for sure. BioWare has previously expressed interest but also outlined how difficult it would be to make a"Legendary Edition" forDragon Age, and it’s doubtful the studio ever returns toAnthem. At the same time, this also means that BioWare probably won’t pursue any new IP–at least for some time. It’s a mixed bag and has been for many years, but BioWare’s resilience over the past few years should be applauded.
Fans have rightfully been concerned about it for years, but it’s moving in the right direction. 2025 seems set to be more of that, and hopefully, BioWare’s focus on its flagship IPs will continue that momentum over the next couple of years. Not without its own wounds, BioWare has so far survived through one of the most trying times the industry has ever seen and, seemingly and hopefully, come out the other side. Thriving comes after surviving, and hopefully, BioWare continues to thrive by doing what it does best: making worlds, characters, and stories that return thathopeto fans.
