EA announces free-to-play Heroes of Dragon Age for iOS and Android

EA has announced a new game in the Dragon Age franchise, and surprisingly enough, it isn't a classic RPG like the other games in the franchise. Titled Heroes of Dragon Age, the game is a combat-focused free-to-play mobile game that is merely set in the Dragon Age universe. The game will be seeing a release on Android and iOS devices.

It is being developed by EA Capital Games—a studio that specifically focuses on mobile games. In Heroes of Dragon Age, players can build a party of heroes and monsters from packs of new fighters. Presumably, these packs will be randomised and will have to be bought with real money through in-app purchases. This is similar to the "booster pack" system that EA employed in the multiplayer component of Mass Effect 3.

Heroes of Dragon Age is a spin-off featuring characters and monsters from the franchise

According to EA, the playable characters in Heroes of Dragon Age will feature "famous heroes and feared monsters from packs featuring unique 3D figures spanning Dragon Age lore."

The game will be focused on the PVP (Player versus Player) aspect where players fight and win battles against each other. While no information about the actual gameplay has been revealed, EA has referred to it as "fast-paced, character-based combat". Characters will level up and players will have to employ squad-formation strategies. The game will feature an online leaderboard.

Currently, the only other game in the Dragon Age franchise under development is Dragon Age Inquisition, which seeks to remedy all of the complaints that were leveled against Dragon Age 2. The game will be a return to form for BioWare, which seems to have been focusing on more action-oriented gameplay over its classical RPG roots for quite some time.