WotC Wizards of the Coast Announces Sci-Fi Video Game with ex-BioWare Developers

Wizards of the Coast announced they are forming a new video game studio called Archetype Entertainment headed by former BioWare developers James Ohlen and Chad Robertson. Ohlen will serve as the Head of Studio while Robertson will take on the title of General Manager. The debut project from the studio will be an original IP, “set in an all-new science fiction universe that will send players on a story-driven epic where choices they make will have real consequences on how their story unfolds.”

Ohlen's credits at BioWare include Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, Anthem, and of course Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, and Neverwinter Nights. Roberts served as Head of Technology for BioWare from 2015 to 2019 and Studio Director from 2017 to 2019. In addition to their video game credits, Ohlen and Robertson also collaborated on the recently released 5e compatible campaign setting book Odyssey of the Dragonlords distributed by Modiphius.

Wizards of the Coast originally announced the formation of this new video game studio in April of last year.

 

[EthanSental]

If they are already working on a game, great! If not, it’s 2-3 years out for release as an estimate for a quality game?

 

[Mercador]

I saw this elsewhere and it did spark a couple of questions for me. Why buy a studio to produce a game that has nothing to do with your current IP? Could this be an indication of expanding into a sci-fi TTRPG game with the video game as a tie-in? Or is this just a way to start establishing a studio to test the waters before doing D&D or Magic based game?

Maybe they just have too much money so they can try 3 different games at the same time and hope at least one of them will be successful? (My bet is on Larian)

 

[Psyga315]

Wizards of the Coast announced they are forming a new video game studio called Archetype Entertainment headed by former BioWare developers James Ohlen and Chad Robertson. Ohlen will serve as the Head of Studio while Robertson will take on the title of General Manager. The debut project from the studio will be an original IP, “set in an all-new science fiction universe that will send players on a story-driven epic where choices they make will have real consequences on how their story unfolds.”

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Ohlen's credits at BioWare include Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, Anthem, and of course Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, and Neverwinter Nights. Roberts served as Head of Technology for BioWare from 2015 to 2019 and Studio Director from 2017 to 2019. In addition to their video game credits, Ohlen and Robertson also collaborated on the recently released 5e compatible campaign setting book Odyssey of the Dragonlords distributed by Modiphius.

Wizards of the Coast originally announced the formation of this new video game studio in April of last year.

Oh coo, so that means they can work some Bioware Magic into some D&D.

 

[ninjayeti]

I'd think if your a game company it would be cheaper and easier to develop new IP as tabletop setting and then invest in the CRPG once you have something you think works. This is like Marvel making movies with original characters in order to develop ideas for new comic books.

 

[Abstruse]

I'd think if your a game company it would be cheaper and easier to develop new IP as tabletop setting and then invest in the CRPG once you have something you think works. This is like Marvel making movies with original characters in order to develop ideas for new comic books.

You say that like developing IP for tabletop is the end-goal and not...you know...just making money making video games too.

 

[dwayne]

I have got other published 5th edition compatible books for Sc fi/modern/mutant/etc so if this is a round about way of seeing if the time is right to do something official i think they are too late. But hope the video game is good i might play it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Star Frontiers 5e confirmed...

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

We can't safe they will use the d20 system, but I guess it should easy to be adapted to d20 system, or even as "guest artists" in some article for Spelljammer. Maybe it will be a spiritual succesor of d20 Future, or even with creatures from D&D.

If the game has got psionic powers then this could cause a total remake of the previous playtests. Or even indirectly a delay of the return of our Dark Sun.

If PCs can use exosuits (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare) powered armours (Anthem) or mechas (Titanfall) or drive airships then balance of power is broken, or the XPs reward needs a readjustment. Maybe there are missions about hunting alien beasts with bulletproof skin, and theses can't be adapted easily to D&D. Or PCs are from a lower tech civilitation (ewoks, na'vi) facing alien invaders (Mars Attacks!)

We can imagine the most of fights will be more shooting than hand-to-hand melee combat. This shouldn't be bad, but for the TTRPG adaptation where the GM wants to create a post-apocalypse setting where you have to save bullets/ammo (and your monster pet is a robot who transform into an animal shape).

We will see a new d20 Modern, not only for this videogame but also other titles, for example Fortnite: Save the World and Overwatch. (and now my crazy theory is George Lucas will be hired for a new SWd20 sourcebook based in the cancelled project Star Wars: Underworld where a group could travel time to try kill Anakin Skywalker).

 

[vecna00]

Star Frontiers 5e confirmed...

It's quite possible! TSR even had a Buck Rogers RPG for a while there, and SSI made a Buck Rogers video game (maybe 2, I'm not sure).

However, the words "original IP" crush those hopes. Unless of course, this is Nathan Stewart speak: "We won't release any new campaigns until we bring out the old ones," and then release Ravnica.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

They said a new IP, a Buck Roger with Flash Gordon are good examples or sci-fi getting older badly. Has WotC got the copyright yet?

If there is a TTRPG adaptation probably we will see it in the DM Guild, and this means lots of fans with their own ideas. Also we should wonder about some previous playtest. Let's remember in the first movie "Alien" one xenomorph was enough to kill almos all, but in the second movie hundreds could be killed from other room with a "sentinel" turret (how many XPs as reward?). And should a remote-control canon be a XP reward as a construct monster or surviving a trap?

If the system works WotC could negotiate with other videogame studios for TTRPG adaptations of their own sci-fi franchises (Destiny, Starcraft, Dead Space, Halo, Half-life, Borderlands )... This even could revive some cancelled online projects, or at least give more advertising to titles still are in the market.

We are thinking this new franchise will be space opera, like a spiritual succesor of "Mass Effect" or/and rival of Paizo's "Starfinder". This also could be used by Hasbro to tell Disney "We would like to publish a new Star Wars d20 but don't ask too much because we have got just our own franchises.

My theory about shooters vs martial artists is the bonus attack by leveling up will be for both, and if you want to be a better hand-to-hand fighter you have to get/"buy" something like the weapons finesse feats.