David Gaider, the creator of Dragon Age Inquisition, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate, and Anthem, talks about videogame writing and claims that BioWare “turned” into a corporation that “quietly resented” its authors. The Mass Effect and KOTOR studio is presently preparing for the release of Dragon Age 4, the follow-up to Dragon Age Inquisition and a new RPG game with the official name Dreadwolf.
Gaider, who served as a writer across the entire Dragon Age series, including Dragon Age 2, Origins, and Inquisition, discusses the role of writers in videogames generally, saying that writing as a skill is “undervalued.”
“Writing is one of those disciplines which is constantly undervalued,” Gaider says. “In games, you even see this attitude among those who want to get into the field: ‘I don’t have any real skills. I can’t art, I can’t program, so I guess I’ll become a writer? It’s better than QA!’ As if game writing didn’t require any actual skill which requires development.”
Gaider then discusses their experiences at BioWare, claiming that the developer “turned” in regards to its approach to writing.
“Even BioWare, which built its success on a reputation for good stories and characters, slowly turned from a company that vocally valued its writers to one where we were quietly resented, with a reliance on expensive narrative seen as the ‘albatross’ holding the company back,” Gaider says.
“Maybe that sounds like a heavy charge, but it’s what I distinctly felt up until I left in 2016. Suddenly all anyone in charge was asking was, ‘how do we have LESS writing?’ A good story would simply happen, via magic wand, rather than be something that needed support and priority.”
BioWare is currently working on Dragon Age 4, formally titled Dragon Age Dreadwolf. Rumours originally circled that the new open-world game would be multiplayer, but this has since been confirmed to be false. The game will allegedly allow us to explore whole-new regions of Thedas, and focus somewhat on Solas, following the events of Inquisition and the Trespasser DLC.
Nevertheless, we have info on all the Dragon Age 4 characters. You might want to check out some other sandbox games, or take a look at all the upcoming games shortly making their way to your PC.