BioWare: Next Dragon Age Will Be Inspired By Skyrim

BioWare is checking Skyrim out aggressively, says CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka.

BioWare CEO and co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka told Wired on Tuesday that the next Dragon Age title will likely draw inspiration from Bethesda's current RPG monster, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in addition to both of its predecessors. He also admitted that the company is listening to its fans with open ears while also learning from the strengths and weaknesses of other RPG titles on the market.

"[The next Dragon Age] is gonna have the best of features from the prior Dragon Age games, but it’s also gonna have a lot of things I think players are gonna find compelling from some of the games that are out now that are doing really well with more of an open world feel," Muzyka said. "We’re checking [Skyrim] out aggressively. We like it. We’re big admirers of [Bethesda] and the product. We think we can do some wonderful things."

Bethesda launched Skyrim on November 11 which has thus far sold around 10 million units across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC platforms, representing approximately $650 million in retail sales. The PC version of Skyrim has even outsold all other PC games by over three to one in the first month of its release. For that reason alone, it's no wonder BioWare is eying Bethesda's blockbuster RPG with "aggressive," inquiring eyes.

"Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam's history," said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve Corporation. "Bethesda’s commitment to and understanding of the PC as a gaming platform shows in the great review scores, spectacular launch, and continued high player numbers that Skyrim has received. We are delighted that Bethesda chose to use Steamworks to support Skyrim both at retail and digitally."

One of the complaints that will likely be addressed with the next Dragon Age title is the ability to equip party members, a feature that Dragon Age II severely lacked. There's also talk that the next game will have a possible multiplayer mode featuring playable dragons. Muzyka confirmed the former report, but wouldn't acknowledge the multiplayer aspect.

"Our goal is to surprise and delight our fans," Muzyka said. "I’ve seen something in the last couple of weeks that is really the future of that franchise that is so compelling, I am so looking forward to being able to announce it."

Tease. To read the full interview, head here.