Dragon Age Name Change Reflects Game's Focus on Your Party Rather Than Solas | Push Square

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The decision to change the name of the next BioWare game Dragon Age: The Veilguard came from a want to focus the subtitle on the party you'll form throughout the RPG rather than the villain, key figures at the studio have revealed. In an interview with Game Informer, multiple developers are posed the same question and the outlet reports their response: «Why the name change?»

Game director Corinne Busche speaks to how the new subtitle reflects the «beating heart» of the game: its companions. «When we took a step back, as we always do, we always check our decisions and make sure that they still represent the game we're trying to build. It just felt like we needed a title that represented what this game was truly about.» She then assures fans that Solas, the party member turned villain from Dragon Age Inquisition, still has a very «important role» to play in the story, but the game isn't primarily about him.

Creative director John Epler agrees, as you'd hope given they're part of the same development team. «Solas is still a central figure in it. He's still a significant character. But really, the focus shifts to the team,» he explains. «It's about the people you recruit. It's about stopping the end of the world with this group of specialists, these incredibly interesting and diverse characters that you recruit into your team. [We] realized Dreadwolf suggests a title focused on a specific individual, whereas The Veilguard, much like Inquisition, focuses more on the team.»

Decisions, decisions

As for the role Solas plays in the narrative, consultant Mark Darrah suggests the conclusion to the elf's story will hopefully be satisfying no matter what you think of him. The Veilguard gives a conclusion to all the «varied attitudes toward Solas» — including love, hate, those who agree with him, and others who want to kick him «off a building». Darrah continues: «I think that we give you the opportunity to bring that to a close, but then tell a greater story about The Veilguard