Electronic Arts is shutting down multiplayer servers for BioWare's Dragon Age: Inquisition on PlayStation 3 later this month, marking another casualty in the publisher's ongoing consolidation of legacy online services. The PS3 infrastructure will go offline April 28, more than a decade after the fantasy RPG's 2014 release.
The move comes as a reminder of how quickly online functionality disappears from older games. PS4, PC, and Xbox versions will remain playable for now, though the company has not committed to any timeline for preserving those versions either.
Inquisition's multiplayer mode never achieved mainstream success despite BioWare's hopes. The studio had banked on a strong reception following the popularity of Mass Effect 3's cooperative multiplayer, but the Dragon Age equivalent failed to gain traction. The mode offered PVE battles using various character races and classes from the single-player campaign, with occasional map and loadout updates in the early years. Support eventually dried up.
The shutdown underscores a broader shift at BioWare away from multiplayer experimentation. The studio's catastrophic attempt at a live-service game with Anthem essentially closed the door on that direction. When Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched, it arrived as a completely single-player experience after early development pivoted away from live-service mechanics.
BioWare's future remains uncertain. The studio has faced significant staffing reductions under EA's recent cost-cutting measures. Mass Effect 5 is in development, though no release window exists. Any new multiplayer modes for the franchise appear unlikely unless they become essential to the game's core appeal, something the company seems unwilling to bet on at present.
The loss of Inquisition's servers is relatively minor compared to the death of Anthem, which symbolized one of gaming's most expensive failures. Still, it reflects a harsh truth about digital games: online functionality is temporary, and older platforms get abandoned first. Players wanting to experience Inquisition's multiplayer have just weeks left to do so.
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