Predictions for 2022 DA Day and The Game Awards

With DA Day just a few days away (Sunday, Dec 4th) and the Game Awards in one week (Thursday, Dec 8th), I thought it would be a good time to get down any thoughts and predictions for these events. 

First of all, I should say it is best to keep expectations low and I'm mostly just throwing out possibilities that seem somewhat realistic to me. Definitely not expecting everything here or even most of it. Having said that, I am feeling generally optimistic this year regarding the Game Awards.

DA Day
Overall I don't think we should expect anything huge on DA Day as this is more of a fan/community event. However, I do think we will get something as we have the past couple years. 

Some possibilities:
- New short stories (we had 4 in 2020 and 2 in 2021 so seems like a safe bet)
- A blog post that could also be the next community update
- Some kind of indication whether they will be at the Game Awards or not. In 2020 I believe they told us outright they'd be there. In 2021 the blog post said they looked forward to talking more "next year" so we knew not to expect anything. So I think there is a decent chance we will know on DA Day if we are getting something at the Game Awards, although it is possible they could go for a complete surprise like ME did in 2020. 
- Maybe some new images, whether concept art or from the game itself
- I think this is unlikely to happen on DA Day, but we could get introduced to the new protagonist or a companion through a blog post
- If they are going to be at the Game Awards, possibly a teaser for the teaser (like a 2 second clip)
- Also there definitely could be something for Absolution

The Game Awards
I'm feeling optimistic about the chances of DA at the Game Awards this year (hopefully I won't end up disappointed lol). The timing makes sense if they are still on track for the late 2023 release window as this would be the last Game Awards before the release. They also recently announced hitting the alpha milestone so we know they are making good progress. Additionally, it has been 2 years since the last teaser so we are just (over)due for something, and it continues the nice pattern of every 2 years at the Game Awards (2018,2020,2022). 

What I think we could see at The Game Awards:
- Introduction to the protagonist. I think it is time to finally get some background on our PC and our role in this game. 
- A first look at a companion or two. If this happens, it would probably be one of the required companions who joins you at the start of the game. I feel like we saw Cassandra and Varric first in DAI trailers.
- Minrathous. The last blog post singled this out in particular as something they are excited about. We already got a glimpse in 2020 but this may show more of the city.
- Solas. I mean, the game is called Dreadwolf after all so pretty much a given.
- A release window. I don't think we will get a specific release date yet but a window like "Fall 2023" is possible. I'm dreading 2024.
- Gameplay? Maybe a first look at combat mixed in with other cinematic content. I don't know though, they might stick to another pure cinematic trailer. Gameplay might be better to show off at EA Play (or whatever event happens in the summer) where they can have a big event dedicated to it. 
- Cameo. Dorian? We already had Varric narrate the last teaser. 
- Probably something more with grey wardens and Antivan crows as they have been featured a lot in the concept art and previous teaser. Wouldn't be surprised if those are companions. We saw the warden Davrin from the BTS video being voiced.
- A surprise. This is really vague but I'm hoping for something out of left field. A hint at a new threat we have to deal with, a character we didn't expect to see, or just something we have absolutely no idea what it is. Something that will fuel speculation and analysis in the coming months. 
- I don't think we'll see anything regarding the Inquisitor. Even if they have some role in the game, that might confuse people into thinking they are returning as protagonist.
- More murals? These always seem to give us a lot to speculate about.
- Follow-up blog post or tweets with some extra tidbits

Ok, so this got to be a bit longer than I anticipated haha. What does everyone else expect or hope to see?