Expansions and additional downloadable content are on the way for the next two years, sure, but a full-on sequel to Dragon Age: Origins is also in the works. A BioWare writer confirmed last fall prior to the game's launch that work on Dragon Age 2 was underway within the studio, but it's a while off. In addition to supporting the initial product and its post-release goodies, the same team is also responsible for Mass Effect 2 and all of its forthcoming DLC. They're quite busy, but chock-full of elaborate plans for the future.
One of those plans is dramatically beefing up the underlying technology. Unlike Mass Effect, Dragon Age does not use the Unreal Engine; instead BioWare use their own internal Eclipse engine, based on technology that powered past titles like KoTOR and Neverwinter Nights 2. It's not ugly, and its art helps it out, but the world of Origins isn't nearly as much of a graphical showcase like the depths of space are. Speaking to Joystiq, BioWare's Greg Zeshcuk says Dragon Age 2 will look "super hot" visually, as they're doing "a lot of work" to improve the engine.
"I think one of the key things we're working on in Dragon Age 2 is the technology. I can confirm that we're doing a lot of work on the Dragon Age engine, and doing a lot of stuff to pump it -- to make it visually super hot." The studio co-founder went to add that Dragon Age is "a fundamentally different game than Mass Effect ... You have to make different technical considerations."
"I think the overall visual style we're going to continue to evolve in Dragon Age. People are going to see some cool ... I can't really say too much, but I think Dragon Age as a world is interesting. It's a timeline, and you can go anywhere."
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