From a recent Game Informer article, it became known why BioWare studio changed the title of the new Dragon Age from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard. According to the heads of the studio, the old subtitle poorly reflected the essence of the game.
The developers noted that the central place in the plot of Dragon Age has always been occupied by its main characters, and the new part is no exception. Moreover, Solas — it was thanks to his nickname that the game was called Dreadwolf — does not receive as much attention.
I want to be clear: I adore Solas [and] he plays an important role in the game, but this is not a game about Solas. So in all things we do, trying to capture that authentic experience, we felt the title really needed to change.
Solas is still a central figure in it. He's still a significant character. But really, the focus shifts to the team. It's about the people you recruit. It's about stopping the end of the world with this group of specialists, these incredibly interesting and diverse characters that you recruit into your team. We realized Dreadwolf suggests a title focused on a specific individual, whereas The Veilguard, much like Inquisition, focuses more on the team.
John Epler also elaborated on Solas's role. As it turned out, after the prologue, the elf got trapped inside the Fade and can only communicate with the main character.
The most interesting villains to myself, and honestly most people, are not just straight up, 'I want to end the world.' To them, they are the heroes of the story, and Solas is no exception," Epler tells me. "Solas always feels that he is a tragic hero but a hero nonetheless, so he's coming into this believing firmly that what he did, that which you stopped him from doing, was the right thing — that you made a mistake. But now he's trapped and can't reach out and actively affect Thedas, so he needs to work with you.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be released in 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.