Dragon Age: Inquisition Servers Set to Shut Down This Month

In a gaming landscape where online multiplayer titles often fade away within weeks, it’s surprising to see a primarily single-player experience like Dragon Age: Inquisition shutting down its servers after 12 years. EA has announced that the PS3 servers for the game will go offline on April 28th, marking the end of its multiplayer features.

Inquisition, the third installment in the main Dragon Age series, was the first to incorporate multiplayer elements, allowing players to team up for cooperative campaigns. It received widespread acclaim and achieved impressive sales, solidifying its status as one of BioWare’s standout titles. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for BioWare’s subsequent ventures into live-service gaming.

Anthem, BioWare’s ambitious attempt at an open-world multiplayer experience, struggled to compete with established titles like Destiny and No Man’s Sky. This misstep led to the game’s support ending just two years after its 2019 launch, with servers shutting down earlier this year. The latest entry, Dragon Age: Veilguard, was likely intended to follow a live-service model as well, but its long-term performance fell short of EA’s expectations, resulting in layoffs at BioWare shortly thereafter.

In a time when the gaming industry often prioritizes which titles can endure over which are genuinely good, it’s bittersweet to bid farewell to Inquisition on a more dignified note. While newer titles like Highguard and Concord struggled to last more than a couple of months, Dragon Age: Inquisition kept its doors open for over a decade, with the PSN bustling with activity for 20 years. The real tragedy lies in how this reflects the industry’s short-sightedness, chasing immediate gains at the expense of lasting potential. EA has yet to clarify whether this decision is linked to recent layoffs or what impact it may have on the Dragon Age Keep community portal.