Dragon Age anime-ting in 2011

Electronic Arts has made a noticeable effort to merchandise many of its biggest gaming franchises in recent years. No truer has that been than for BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins, the brand extensions for which include a prequel novel, an Orson Scott Card-penned comic, and a pen-and-paper tabletop role-playing game.

Soon, Dragon Age fans will have one more way to experience BioWare's dark fantasy universe, as Electronic Arts today announced a collaboration effort with FUNimation Entertainment to create an anime based on the game. The stylized cartoon entered production last month, and its home video release is currently scheduled for 2011. BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah and creative director Mike Laidlaw are executive producing the film.

Today's announcement offered no information on the direction BioWare and FUNimation will be taking with the anime. The game, which released to lofty critical praise for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in November 2009, was set in the land of Ferelden. After years of relative peace, the kingdom found itself beset by an infernal Darkspawn threat, and players assumed the role of one of the few remaining Wardens in an effort to defend the land.

As for Dragon Age 2, EA has strongly hinted that it will release the next installment in BioWare's action RPG franchise on February 1, 2011.