Dragon Age III: Inquisition isn't due out until 2014 on the Xbox 720 and PS4, but Neil Thompson of Bioware tells OXM that fans need not worry about the fidelity of the upcoming threequel (via IGN).
Thompson explains, "Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 were both done using Bioware's own Eclipse engine, and it was starting to creak a little bit when Dragon Age 2 came out. Inquisition is being done on the Frostbite 2 engine and it is an astonishingly powerful engine."
As a point of reference, the visual powerhouse Battlefield 3, developed by EA subsidiary DICE, also uses the Frostbite 2 engine. In an interview late last year, Bioware General Manager Aaron Flynn let slip to Game Informer that Inquisition will be inspired by Skryim to an extent, suggesting a more open-ended structure.
"There was a pre-production period where almost on a weekly basis I'd be sitting in the environment reviews and being blown away by what was coming out - it looks stunningly beautiful," adds Thompson. "So I think when we do start releasing screenshots, people won't be disappointed...Can you make fantasy beautiful in a different way? We think we have something special for Dragon Age III: Inquisition."
Surprisingly, Thompson admits that the development team was "disappointed at how their work was visualized in the final product with eclipse," but assures fans that Frostbite 2 is an "astonishingly powerful engine."
Little is known about the story's intricacies, but the synopsis reads as follows. "The empire of Orlais is riven by civil war; the Chantry is divided; the Templar order has broken away; the Mage circles have rebelled. Some unseen force is manipulating events, bringing about disorder and destruction. Out of this confusion emerges The Inquisition."