Dragon Age: Inquisition is likely the most challenging project BioWare has ever worked on, according to the game's producer Cameron Lee.

The action-RPG is currently the fourth most-anticipated game on the horizon, according to the GameSpot 50, ahead of its multiplatform release on November 18 in the US (November 21 Europe).

But the four-year journey getting there has required immense effort and co-operation from BioWare's Edmonton workforce. As well as creating a vast world, Inquisition introduces complex crafting and character creation tools. It is also the studio's debut next-gen project (usually a difficult learning experience for coders especially), while builds are also in development for last-gen platforms too.

Asked by GameSpot if these demands helped make Inquisition the most difficult project BioWare has encountered yet, Lee replied:

"I think so, I think so. We've had a lot of time though, and that really helps. Dragon Age Inquisition has been four years in the making, which has definitely alleviated some of those challenges."

He added: "The work the team has done has been astronomical. We have so many different people who are so passionate about different parts of the game. It's definitely been one of the biggest challenges we've faced for sure."

BioWare Edmonton was founded in 1995 and has a rich pedigree of acclaimed games, from the Mass Effect series to Jade Empire, MDK2, Baldur's Gate, and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.

Despite Inquisition spanning multiple generations of systems, as well as PC, Lee did not believe that the required scalability had put a restriction on the team's ambitions.

"Last-gen doesn't represent how many features you can add into a game, but what it does represent is how you present those features," he said.

"When you create a cross-platform game, so much next-gen power can be used for streaming [assets], and heightened graphical fidelity. BioWare has a lot of experience on PC too, so we already are familiar with working towards min-spec and max-spec."

Take a look at the video above for a preview of Dragon Age Inquisition's character creation system. Plus, below is a selection of new images.