Dragon Age spun off into Flash game

By Oli Welsh Published 15 October, 2009

EA 2D developing DA Journeys for browsers.

BioWare wasn't kidding when it said it had big plans for its new Dragon Age franchise. Hot on the heels of this week's revelation that it has two years of DLC planned comes the announcement of Dragon Age Journeys, a Flash game for browsers developed by EA 2D.

EA 2D has "some big plans for Journeys," said producer Ethan Levy in the blog post, and these begin with a three-chapter, single-player tactical RPG. The first chapter, called The Deep Roads, explores the dwarven city of Orzammar and the surrounding areas.

It's already been in development for a year, and EA has recruited some top Flash indie talent to work on it, including the creator of the Monster's Den RPGs. "At EA 2D it is our mission to create blockbusters for the browser; some will be original games created by our teams and some will be games within other EA franchises, such as Dragon Age Journeys," said Levy.

The main event, of course, remains the launch of Journeys' big brother, Dragon Age: Origins, on PC and 360 on 6th November and later that month on PS3. Check the Dragon Age gamepage for all the facts and watch out for more on the game very soon.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (14) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • actionfitz #1 2 years ago

    A flash browser game?
    /sigh.
    A 3d browser game done in Unity 3D or Shockwave would tickle my fancy a bit more.
    (having nothing at all to do with the fact that I work in that field ^^ ).
    Seriously though, there's some seriously shit-hot stuff possible now with browsers.
    Just look at Cartoon Netwroks Fusion Fall or any of the iPhone stuff coming out :)
    [link url=http://unity3d.com/
    ]http://unity3d.com/
    [/link]
    http://www. fusionfall.com/splashpage.html

  • Skurmedel #2 2 years ago

    I always a feel a bit dubious when they announce two pieces of DLC before the actual game has been released.

  • ZuluHero #3 2 years ago

    @Skurmedel

    People complain if they don't release DLC and are skeptical when they announce that a product will be well supported. There is no pleasing people...

    Out of interest why does it make you dubious? By the fact that they will continue supporting a product after its release? By the fact that they are letting you know in advance because they want to make sure that you are satisfied by their pledge to support their games beyond the initial release? Or the maybe fact that they believe that their universe is good enough to add more content and new adventures?

    Please do help me out because I’m struggling to see the downside.
    Edited by 1 at 15/10/09 @ 15:07

  • ChthonicEcho #4 2 years ago

    @ZuluHero

    Overreaction, much? It's perfectly fine to feel slightly unsure when companies promise additional content and even detail it before their game reaches the shops' shelves. Downloadable content is a great opportunity for developers to add to the game what they fail to due to deadlines or other reasons. However, the whole concept of DLC has become a farce nowadays, and it's pretty much what you'd see on a TV shop - developers cut content and put it aside for the future to sell it as DLC.

    Sure, no one is forcing us to buy DLC, but it's admittedly frustrating to see companies offering what has no reason to be sold separately. Even more so when there's day-one paid-for DLCs. If all that content is readily available on the same day as the game itself, how can you justify its format (downloadable content) without sounding like a selfish twat? Resources, deadline - all the typical reasons do not apply here.

    You should really be more open-minded and think less like a gluttonous consumerist.

  • Fillem #5 2 years ago

    @zuluhero

    Probably dubious because this is what was promised for Mass Effect as well. And look how great those DLC packs turned out! :)
    Even so, I'm probably shelling out for the collector's edition and than feel like a fool :(

  • the_dudefather #6 2 years ago

    I don't mind DLC that much, but I hate exclusive preorder stuff from selected retailers

    especially when that content cannot be gained in any other way, it's like a piece of the game is locked away forever :(

  • ZuluHero #7 2 years ago

    @ChthonicEcho

    I don't think its an overreaction at all. Yours would make an amazing counter-arguement *if* the article didn't point out that the game will be supported by DLC for two years beyond the release of the game. 'Gluttonous consumerism' aside, if a game that turns out to be great is given periodic injections of life and giving longevity to the game then surely that can only be a good thing?

    And Fillem, i agree, but bad DLC aside the original ME game turned out to be very good. I too have high hopes for Dragon Age also.

    Besides, after all is said and done, lets just get the game first and worry about DLC later shall we?

  • ChthonicEcho #8 2 years ago

    @ZuluHero

    You either haven't read my post or have read it, but between the lines.

    I was not talking about DLC that will come out two years from now (it missing from my post was kind of a dead giveaway). I was talking about DLC that will happen in the very near future. I'd repeat myself and clarify, but I won't say anything that I haven't already mentioned. If it can be released on the first day as DLC, it should be in the game itself.

    Now, you cling to the whole 'two years of Awesome Age!' idea. You do realise that is not how content is measured, right? I could say my game is going to be supported for twenty years, yet release only two miniscule packs of additional content - one on the day of release, the other 20 years later - and I'll have been truthful.

    I'm not a big fan of GTA IV, but it's a good example of a business strategy fair to both the company and consumers - no day-one downloadable content, and they release fairly large chunks of highly-rated additional content over reasonable period of time. Burnout Paradise is another stellar example. You're right in at least one thing, though - one should wait and see.

    But that applies to you, too. It's fine to worry about the future, if you don't know just what it holds. It's that simple.

  • ZuluHero #9 2 years ago

    I think you're missing my point as much as i'm missing yours. I was commenting more on the fact that developers can't seem to win in the eyes of the consumer. But i guess the adage, "you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't" rings true.

    In regards to what you are saying, i'll bite. Have you even read the articles? I'm just picking up on things said in them, like:

    "And it's going to be everything from really small stuff like item packs, up to larger quests that might last an hour or two, up to even fully-fledged expansion packs. Really, it's a broad, long-term support plan for the game."

    "the sheer quantity of DLC BioWare has planned for Dragon Age is huge, easily eclipsing any other releases to date"

    "There will be three packs available at launch, two of them free. "

    That doesn't sound like a half-assed effort by removing current content and pawning it off as DLC to me. Even if i were as cynical as you, the optimist in me can't help pointing out that 2 of the 3 released at launch are free anyway. I know that could be viewed as a marketing ploy to get "bums on seats", but at the end of the day nobody is forcing you to buy the others. And most DLC is created (or removed ;)) in such a way that you wouldn't ever notice if it was gone anyway.

    There's just this preconception amoungst the general population that because there is additional content released so soon after a games release that it *must* have been removed from the full game and as a result they are missing out on something, and thats a big steaming pile of BS...
    Edited by 1 at 16/10/09 @ 09:05

  • metallicorphan #10 2 years ago

    this DLC on day one isn't too bad as you can see it looks like they will both be decently big,a decent MB size anyway,unlike say when companies sell DLC that are clothing or Co-Op mode on day 1 that are a mere KB in size that could of/should of been included on the disc

  • ChthonicEcho #11 2 years ago

    @ZuluHero

    Oy vey. You're persistent, aren't you?

    I've never argued that customers are fickle and hard to please. But there are certain do's that damn you more so than others.

    Philosophical implications aside, allow me to correct you and state that two of the three day-one DLCs are actually paid-for. Under certain conditions, yes, but they are. From Wikipedia:

    Every new retail box or Digital purchases of the game will receive a promotional code to get The Stone Prisoner for free while previously owned copies of the game will have to pay $15 USD.[...]Warden’s Keep is only available as a paid download.

    Blood Dragon armour is free, yes. A single item is free additional content. My, BioWare sure have outdone themselves this time, haven't they! Oh, well, at least they have promised buckets of additional content, right? Quite like Valve had promised years of extensive and unquestionable support for Left 4 Dead, only to start working on the sequel a month later.

    I could continue moaning, but I'll just pain you and other readers. I'm not blaming anyone. I've Dragon Age: Origins Deluxe Digital Edition and Left 4 Dead 2 pre-ordered. I will enjoy both games. I'll play Left 4 Dead 2 for as long as it's supported - I've played Left 4 Dead 1 until this year's September, 20-30 hours per two weeks. The only reason I'm not playing now is because my PC is in repairs.

    We're in two different camps. Differing views. I can't speak for you, but I follow you and your arguments. I am just saying that attacking another person because he feels unsure of whether the developer is being honest is rather ignorant. Articles concerning DLC - those are promises. Easily broken promises. You like sayings? Here's one. 'Actions speak louder than words'.

    Let us not argue further, eh? I ask you because I'm personally too weak-willed to stop spouting nonsense.
    Edited by 1 at 16/10/09 @ 10:09

  • Skurmedel #12 2 years ago

    ZuluHero: I don't think you understand why I think its dubious. It's great that they commit themselves to supporting the game, but in certain cases it seems like they planned on the DLC before hand, and then the question becomes: Do they intentionally leave out content to be able to cash in on it later? I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case sometimes.

    And I would never ever consider skepticism a bad thing, it's healthy for you. It doesn't mean you necessarily approve or disapprove something.
    Edited by 1 at 16/10/09 @ 14:59

  • ZuluHero #13 2 years ago

    A little optimism isn’t a bad thing either. Plus I have plenty of other things to be cynical about. Besides, I work in the industry and all the DLC we’ve been asked to produce has always been planned precisely as such and always in addendum to the main game – often alongside it so that we can launch it at the same time. And I wouldn't be surprised at all if other studios had similar practices.

    Sure there may have been times where we have used material from the main game that was cut. But it would have been cut regardless anyway and it would have never been seen by the public otherwise, so it makes business sense to reuse and adapt assets and ideas.

    And while I admit that DLC sometimes (albeit rarely) gives us more time to develop and polish an idea that was in the game originally, before the advent of DLC (pre-LIVE and PSN) it would have been cut out of a game completely and never see the light of day – so from your point of view you would have never known otherwise :)

    And while we’re on topic, we’ve never been asked to remove content from the main game to use as DLC, but I can’t vouch that this is the same for everyone.

    In regards to content already being on the disk, and having DLC ‘unlock’ it. A reason for this could be that if the content has been planned from the start, or early on in the projects life, and is also aiming for a simultaneous launch (or thereabouts) with the game itself, AND if you have space on the disk then it makes sense to do so. Contrary to popular belief, most of the time there is no deception meant, no malice towards the end user to milk every last penny out them., it’s simply a way to get large downloads off the market place allowing users to access the data faster and help the LIVE server loads.

    As an end user myself and the subject of a download cap at home, if I’ve wanted something that only downloads a small file, I’ve been generally quite happy. But as you can tell, I’m the type of person that is quite happy with his lot, I don’t automatically assume that everyone is out to get me or do one over on me. When I buy a game, I accept it for what it is and what is present in it. I certainly don’t feel the need to go off spouting conspiracy theories.

    So maybe that’s the reason I’m a little bit more defensive about DLC than most.

    At the end of the day, you have to realise that 2 years worth of additional DLC can't all be content cut from the main game, some of it has to be new ;)
    Edited by 2 at 16/10/09 @ 19:11

  • SheffieldSteel #14 2 years ago

    Just because it's available on day one, you can't assume that DLC would have made it into the final product. If nothing else, consider that at some point masters have to be sent for manufacturing and distribution, and while you're waiting for the DVDs to be stamped out, you can carry on working on your DLC.