Recently, Bioware opened up to Game Informer and hinted that Dragon Age 3 will take on a decidedly more Skyrim-like flavor the next go around.
Aaryn Flynn, the developer's general manager, states: "You can't look at a game like Skyrim and not think about how impressive what they've accomplished is or [think] that's an interesting new direction or that there was something that didn't work well for them that we could take in a new direction. So, we're always influenced by these games, especially in a relatively tight-knit genre like RPGs."
While Flynn didn't open up about specific gameplay components that the Dragon Age team will be adopting, one would assume that the third entry in the franchise will place a larger emphasis on exploration.
DA3 will debut on next-generation consoles in 2014, and utilize the Frostbite 2 engine produced by fellow EA subsidiary DICE.
The story synopsis reads, "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."
Dragon Age 2 received a lukewarm reception among gamers and critics alike, a stark contrast to the rave reviews that piled on for the series' original entry.