The writer of the beloved Dragon Age series explains that the game’s continent of Thedas is actually named for an acronym.
Fans of the long-running single-player RPG franchise are likely familiar with the game's fantasy setting, but they might be unaware of the amusing history behind its name. "I still remember the meeting where we (reluctantly) decided to keep the 'TheDAS' temp name because nothing else 'sounded right,'" lead writer David Gaider wrote. "We'd had the internal temp name for years, by that point. Definitely a lesson learned about what temp names should be (and not be)."
Gaider also explained why the team used an acronym, commenting, "It's because (as I recall) James Ohlen [Senior Creative Director] had a name he wanted to use which...I didn't really like. But he was my boss, at the time, so I couldn't very well just tell him no and name it something else." The writer eventually decided to push the problem to a later deadline, stating that the team used a name found on Bioware's official forums until an alternative could be found. "At which point, I was hoping James might have forgotten the name he wanted," continued Gaider.
The disagreement was eventually brought to an end when Ohlen left to work on another project in Austin, though despite his departure, the Dragon Age team "didn't circle back to selecting the real name again for years. At which point [Gaider and the team had] been saying and writing "Thedas" for so long...well, you get the picture." Gaider then finished his recollection by revealing that the experience taught him a useful trick when his co-workers were unsure of his name for the Qunari race. "With Thedas in mind, I said, "Let's keep Qunari as a temp name and come back to it in six months or so." As fans will no doubt know, the name stuck.
Though Gaider gave old fans a look back into the past of Dragon Age, the future of the series will likely be reserved for the newest generation of platforms. A profile of the former lead designer for Dragon Age 4 revealed the latest entry for the franchise would skip last-gen consoles entirely. This means that non-PC players will need to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X|S if they want to experience the newest events in Thedas.
Dragon Age 4 does not have an official release date, though rumors reportedly claim the game is set for a 2023 launch.
Source:Â Twitter