While BioWare’s Dragon Age franchise features an entirely new protagonist with each installment, the games still take place inside the same fantasy world. As a result, players often encounter characters that were first introduced in earlier installments of the series.

This extends to in-game appearances of the main playable characters of past titles such as the cameo of Dragon Age II‘s Hawke in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Even though players often become reacquainted with previous characters, gamers should not expect to meet the protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins again in any upcoming title.

While speaking to fans on Twitter, Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw confirmed that the main character from the first entry of the franchise will not reappear in future games. The protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins, known as the Hero of Ferelden, is officially retired and will not return in any upcoming title.

This is not the first time BioWare developers indicated that they will not include the Hero of Ferelden in other Dragon Age entries as previously reported by the Inquisitr. When explaining the reason for withdrawing the character from the series, Laidlaw provided an in-depth statement while speaking on the game’s Reddit page. Mostly, the decision is due to lore and continuity considering certain events that can take place in the first game. Be aware that the following contains major spoilers for the first title. Players that have yet to play the RPG may want to avoid the next few paragraphs.

Origin's protagonist may be gone, but Dragon Age II's Hawke has already made multiple appearances. [Image by BioWare]

According to the director of Dragon Age, the Hero of Ferelden will not appear in other titles simply because it is possible that the character did not survive the ending. Dragon Age: Origins, like other BioWare titles, is a game about choice, and players were ultimately given the decision to sacrifice the protagonist in order to save the world.

It is possible that the main character could still be alive at the end of Dragon Age: Origins, but Laidlaw pointed out that a lot people ended up taking the option to sacrifice the character. Since some game states include a deceased Hero of Ferelden and others do not, it is difficult to have the character reappear when some saves include the character’s death.

As the game director puts it, having the Hero of Ferelden show up in an upcoming entry of the franchise would lessen the impact of the decision to sacrifice the character for the greater good. Players that wanted to create a martyr out of the hero would suddenly feel that their choices mattered less to find the character alive and well.

Other characters will likely return, similar to how Dragon Age: Inquisition featured many recurring faces. [Image by BioWare]

As GameSpot recently reported, this new discussion on the future of the Dragon Age series comes after BioWare confirmed that “something is happening” with the franchise. This could indicate that a new game is currently in development.

[Featured Image by BioWare]