Update: Yellow Brick Games showed off the first look at Mike Laidlaw’s upcoming RPG in a recent press release.
The first two concept images from the unannounced title show off two very different environments, featuring the same large, golem-like giant in both. In one image, a verdant cliff rife with greenery overlooks the enormous figure, which appears to be an enemy. In the next image, we see what looks like a protagonist clad in armor diving down toward the giant ready to make a killing blow in some sort of forest area.
It’s unclear exactly what’s happening here, or if the two giant-like characters are the same being or two different ones. But both images are certainly evocative of the fantastical feeling the game looks to achieve.
“We’ve made incredible progress thus far and feel fortunate to have such high caliber talent come together,” said Yellow Brick COO and co-founder Jeff Skalski. “Under the creative helm of Mike Laidlaw and armed with Unreal Engine 5, we are truly making magic come true every day. If building a new fantasy Action RPG within an environment of support and respect sounds interesting, please let us know.”
The game will be set in a “unique fantasy universe”, according to Yellow Brick Games, and will debut on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC. There’s no release window planned just yet, as the game is in such early stages it’s not gotten past the concept art phase yet.
Original story: Mike Laidlaw, former head of BioWare's Dragon Age series, is working on a brand new title with his new studio Yellow Brick Games.
The game, referred to as an "ambitious new action RPG" by publisher Private Division, will act as Laidlaw's return to the development arena after his most recent stint at Assassin's Creed Odyssey studio Ubisoft Quebec.
This will mark the first effort from Yellow Brick Games, which will be published by Private Division. It's still quite a while away, however, as apparently it won't be releasing until around the start of the 2024 financial year.
"I find myself energized by the challenge of helping build a new studio - full of incredible talent, ambitious ideas, and real focus on our product - while taking risks that might not be possible in AAA game development," said Laidlaw.
"We want to deliver something special for our debut title, and partnering with Private Division provides our team with the support to create a game that's truly memorable."
There aren't any further details beyond the genre when it comes to what we should expect from Laidlaw's new project. However, if it's anything like his work with Dragon Age, we can expect something promising.
Laidlaw spent 15 years at BioWare, during which he helmed the Dragon Age series. It's continued in his stead, but there hasn't been much news about where it will go from here as of late. With EA opting to skip its annual EA Play Live show in 2022, we may not hear more about the newest Dragon Age entry for some time. Oh, and sadly there's "no chance" the game will debut this year.
Looks like there's a lot of waiting in store for anyone looking for a chance to jump back into the series or something like it.
Elsewhere at BioWare, Mass Effect 5 is also coming together - but you'll be waiting even longer for that.
