EA, BioWare Confirm Dragon Age 2 For March 2011

BioWare and parent Electronic Arts on Thursday confirmed that Dragon Age 2, the sequel to November 2009's critically-acclaimed original Dragon Age: Origins, is currently in development at BioWare Edmonton. The game is slated to release on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 in March 2011. The original game, also developed by BioWare Edmonton, had strong roots in hardcore PC role-playing games, with the studio dubbing Origins the "spiritual successor" to its Baldur's Gate series, which is based on the Dungeons & Dragons license. Despite its hardcore focus, the original Dragon Age, a new property for EA, sold-in over 3.2 million units. "Last year's launch of Dragon Age: Origins was one of the most successful in BioWare's 15-year history and one of the most successful new IP launches in the 28-year history of EA," EA SVP and BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka said in a statement. BioWare and EA said that the sequel will have "more action, a new, more responsive combat system and a dynamic story." The game centers on a new hero named Hawke, a survivor of the evil blight that was taking over the Dragon Age universe in the original. The new story will span 10 years. The original game was highly-rated among critics, with the PC version earning a 91 on game review aggregator Metacritic. Executive producer Mark Darrah said that while the sequel is a "new entry point" into the universe, fans of the original will "retain a sense of satisfaction and familiarity in the world." He added, "We are amplifying the things that made Dragon Age: Origins such a huge success while introducing a more dynamic combat system, improving the graphics, and telling the most important story in our world." BioWare is also currently at work on the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic and the single-player RPG Mass Effect 3.