Dragon Age 3: Inquisition Announced

BioWare announced the next chapter in the Dragon Age series today. Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, whose existence was leaked by a survey in August, is currently in development for unknown platforms.

"Recently, I said that we didn´t want to talk about Dragon Age III unless we had something to show," said BioWare's Mark Darrah on the company blog. "I´m trying to stick to that plan and won´t be revealing much today. That said, a lot of information and rumors have surfaced recently and we don´t want to hide from them. There are a BUNCH of things that I really want to share with you but I want to do this right, and doing it right requires some more time."

Darrah confirmed the Inquisition subtitle but didn't mention any story details. The leaked survey mentioned that players would take on the role of an Inquisitor unearthing a dark conspiracy sowing chaos throughout the land. In addition to traveling the land and smiting evil with a party of companions, the player will supposedly create an army, gather intel and engage in diplomacy.

The gameplay details revealed by Darrah were also vague. They said that much of the original Dragon Age team is still intact and will be working on this game. The team is creating a new game engine using Battlefield 3's Frostbite 2 as a starting point. Their goal is to create a game world that looks better, allows for more exploration and reacts more to player decisions. Expect more customization of armor and followers as well.

The survey from August mentioned that co-op, a five-character party and day-and-night cycle were all possible features. Prior rumors stated that an arena-based multiplayer is under consideration as well.

Darrah didn't say when we can expect Dragon Age 3. The fact that they let this summer's gaming conventions pass by any announcement whatsoever suggests that this game is pretty far off, though.