Dragon Age remasters are technically possible but won't be easy, BioWare co-founder says

Q: What technical challenges did Trent Oster cite that make remastering Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II non-trivial?

Oster said remastering is possible but "by no means a trivial exercise," noting the technical complexity comes from the fact that Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II were built from two different engines that were "smashed together" (the Aurora-based Eclipse Engine), and that there is a lack of current developer experience with that older engine.

Q: Why does Mark Darrah believe current BioWare staff couldn't handle a Dragon Age remaster?

Mark Darrah says the current BioWare team lacks enough experience with Dragon Age's old Aurora-based Eclipse Engine, which he believes is necessary to pull off a remaster. He argues that without developers familiar with that legacy engine, the project could not realistically be executed.

Q: Which engines were combined to create Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, and how does that affect a remaster?

They were a combination of BioWare's Aurora engine and the Eclipse engine (referred to in the article as the Aurora-based Eclipse Engine). Trent Oster says those two engines were "smashed together" to make Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, and that blending of legacy tech means a remaster is technically possible but "by no means a trivial exercise," made harder by the fact few current developers at BioWare have experience with that old engine.

Q: Does the article indicate whether BioWare leadership publicly supports a Dragon Age remaster?

Yes. BioWare co-founder Trent Oster publicly said on Twitter that a Dragon Age remaster is possible, though "by no means a trivial exercise." Former executive producer Mark Darrah is skeptical because current staff lack experience with the original engine, but Oster expressed optimism.

While former BioWare exec producer Mark Darrah is dubious if a Dragon Age remaster could technically happen, BioWare's co-founder says it's possible.

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Derek Strickland

Senior Gaming Editor

Published Jul 30, 2026 5:35 PM CDT

1-minute read time

TL;DR: BioWare co-founder Trent Oster says remastering Dragon Age: Origins and II is technically feasible but difficult, citing his firsthand experience merging the engines behind both games; former exec Mark Darrah doubts current staff have the Aurora/Eclipse expertise, and EA's impending $55 billion privatization complicates prospects.

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Despite reports to the contrary, BioWare's co-founder believes the studio could technically bring Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age II back for a remastered duology...but it wouldn't be easy.

Dragon Age remasters are technically possible but won't be easy, BioWare co-founder says 1

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Following the reception of Veilguard, EA seems unlikely to resurrect the Dragon Age franchise any time soon, but former BioWare dev and executive producer Mark Darrah says EA probably couldn't do it even if they wanted to. The reason? No one currently at BioWare has enough experience with Dragon Age's old Aurora-based Eclipse Engine to make the project actually happen.

However, BioWare co-founder Trent Oster is optimistic on Dragon Age remasters. "I've seen a fair bit of chatter about the impossibility of remastering Dragon Age. I like to think of myself as someone who talks a bit, but more often lets my work speak for me. In my opinion, it is possible, but by no means a trivial exercise," Oster said on Twitter.

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As he explains in his own words, Oster's credentials in this matter are exemplary: "Having led the development of both of the engines that were smashed together to make DA:O and DA:2, I have a unique perspective on the tech under the hood."

While possible, the optics on a new Dragon Age project are dim as Electronic Arts will soon be taken private in the largest leveraged buyout in history. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund teamed up with two other investment groups--Silver Lake and Affinity Partners--to raise $55 billion to buy public EA shareholders out of their shares and take one of the largest video games companies on the planet private, for the first time, in the history of EA.

This deal has been in the works for a while now, and ever since it was first put together, EA has generated record $8 billion in net bookings, pushed new highly unpopular microtransactions into its games, and introduced a new $150 edition of FC27.

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