WotC Brand New D&D Video Game from WotC's New Acquisition Tuque Games

Tuque Games has announced it's working on a brand new D&/D video game. "We're developing a brand-new game based in the widely celebrated, enduring, and immensely popular Dungeons & Dragons universe. This yet to be announced title is steepled in classic D&D lore. We aspire to push this game to new heights for the genre. It’s an honour and a privilege to begin a new chapter for Dungeons & Dragons video games."

Not only that, but the company has been purchased by WotC! The press release went out earlier today:

---

RENTON, Wash., Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), today announced that it has acquired Tuque Games, a digital game development studio based in Montreal. Tuque is led by veterans of the game industry with experience working for leading publishers. Tuque will continue the development of games for Wizards of the Coast's best-known brands, beginning with Dungeons & Dragons.

"At Wizards, we're continuing our commitment to creating new ways to bring our fan favorite brands to life," said Chris Cocks, President, Wizards of the Coast. "Our unique approach of connecting fans around the tabletop as well as through our expanding portfolio of digital games is redefining what it means to be a games company."

Founded in 2012 by Jeff Hattem, Tuque Games released their first title, Livelock, to critical acclaim in 2016. Now with over 55 full-time employees, Tuque will focus on the development of digital games based on the popular Dungeons & Dragons franchise.

"Tuque is thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the Wizards of the Coast team," said Jeff Hattem, Founder, Tuque Games. "By working more closely together, we can accelerate our joint vision and bring to life new games, characters and worlds in Wizards of the Coast's roster of franchises."

"In Tuque, we believe we have found a unique partner that pairs the nimbleness of an indie studio with the veteran leadership and scale required to deliver complex AAA games for our largest franchises," said David Schwartz, VP of Digital Publishing, Wizards of the Coast. "We are excited to bring Jeff and the Tuque team to the Wizards of the Coast family, which we believe will allow us to continue to meet the needs of our fans while enabling us to scale our digital games development capabilities even faster."

---

It seems there's a bit of a D&D video game renaissance going on. Baldur's Gate 3 is coming, as is Solasta: Crown of the Magister.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

My opinion is the online games are too risky now in these days, even some important studios have failed. Better titles to play "offline" and the online as optional multiplayer.

I suggest as complementary option something like the Foundry from the Neverwinter Online where gamers can create their own quests, or even machinima movies. Maybe to finance the software of this "Foundry" this should be sold as videogame cloning ideas from Sims Medieval. Why not anything like the Bethesda club creation where mods for Fallout 4 and Skyrim could be sold?

Some time in the past I have suggested the idea of an asymmetric dungeon-crawling+tower defense game where a player is the DM add traps and monsters, like Capcom's "Resident Evil: Resistance Project".

And we should think about the future of board games linked with the "phygital" technology, but without remembering the "toys-to-life" franchises as LEGO dimensions, Infinity Disney or Spyro Skylanders are the past. Only Nintendo Amiibo has survived, do you know why?

Other option for the videogame industry are titles with different modes. For example you can play Fortnite Battle Royal, but you have to buy the cooperative PvE mode "Save the World". You will have to pay to play Overwatch, but all things you have "unlocked" in the first title will can be use in the "PvE" mode. Maybe the gamers would be willing to spend money for cosmetic skins or DLC when they know if the online game is closed then they still can use them in other titles by the same studio.

The market of the toys and games for preteen children is controlled by the parents, and these would rather to spend 20 $ for a LEGO or playmobil box than pre-painted miniatures. If you really want a franchise for children as hook for other titles for the adolescence stage then it has to be something not too expensive.

The videogame industry is making a lot of money, but also the rivalry is fierce, and other studios could publish their own titles based in works by 3rd party publishers, for example Pathfinder Kingmaker. Videogames, as movies, and be a great advertising, but you have to make a really good work.

Other rivals for the market share are the free-to-play. You can't spend a lot of time and money for something soon will be forgotten. And I dare to say now some videogame genres start to be saturate, causing "satiety". Maybe we should think about a game where you don't only kill monsters but create a warband or manage your own stronghold with farmers and peasants, something like mixing Warcraft III, Stronghold Legends, Castleville and Sims Medieval.

I think WotC is using computer simulations to test mass battles, maybe to publish a game as Warhammer: Total War but set in Birthright because its lore is more open for changes.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

DDO is a game for social and intelligent people

Oh brother... That's not all a bad sign - aggressively proclaiming the "intelligence" of players of a mediocre MMO.

It has got story, real roleplay dialogues, and powerful riddles.

None of that was in at launch or the first year, so must have been added later. Or more likely, you're extremely biased and wildly overstating because you're one of the few thousand actual fans of DDO.

Every MMO, no matter how bad, has some fans. Sometimes it even deserves them! Maybe DDO does now but the basic structure and design of the game are not great, and I say that as someone who bought two copies day one and subscribed for much of the first year.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Online are two completely different games. But, yes, the elimination of the Foundry in NWO was inexcusable. Also, the game wasn't as grindy at first. Compare, for example, the Sharandar campaign vs. Storm King's Thunder.

Yes, sorry for any confusion! Re: grindy NWO was always more grindy than say WoW or many WoW-type MMOs, but yes only somewhat more initially. It got much worse as you say.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Not wrong, but they have longevity and success. It does make it more likely that someone might want to make a good MMO for D&D, if mediocre ones can be so successful. And that seems like a good task for an internal developer...

Except that a good MMO takes $100-200m and 3-5 years to develop. I don't mean that sarcastically! It would be good for a team really tight with the IP owners, ie an internal developer, except for the vast investment. I don't know how much 5E pulls in, but I'm guessing it's not enough to finance that kind of thing. WoW, back in 2004, cost $100m to develop. SWTOR in 2010 was $200m. ESO in 2014 was $200m.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I played Champions Online and Neverwinter Online until I reached the level 60. I tried City of Heroes and I didn't like the gameplay, nor DDO, when my PC had to point to the boxes to be destroyed. I didn't end the creation of the character in DC because I couldn't choose the right color with my computer mouse.

I don't like the turn-base-games. Once I saw somebody playing Final Fantasy in a cybercafe and it was boring always with the same powers. The first time is spectacular, but after it becomes monotone.

* I wonder how should be an Oriental Adventures videogame for the Asian players from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, maybe adding new races as the kemonomimi (= "animal ears")?

* If killing zombies is popular now, why not a videogame set in Innistrad, the Überwald region of gothic horror from Magic the Gathering where PCs have to act as in Fortnite: save the world or "State of Decay", gathering/harvesting resources, and creating a stronghold with traps (as a tower defense game, for example "Orcs must Die"). I hope this little suggestion help to create a ARPG with its special style.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

* I wonder how should be an Oriental Adventures videogame for the Asian players from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, maybe adding new races as the kemonomimi (= "animal ears")?

That would be considered insulting by many people in that region. OA itself was a bit silly and Orientalist (hell it's in the name, despite the fact it's basically actually "Japanese Mythological Adventures"). There's a reason it never came back and we got more complex and nuanced stuff like Legend of the Five Rings instead (which is not without its own issues). Further, players in those regions have shown no preference for Asia-centric MMOs. Most of the big MMOs and fantasy games in those regions are Western fantasy, hell, some of the best Western fantasy games are Japanese. Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma got the old-skool AD&D vibe better than almost any Western devs.

 

[gyor]

I'm pretty sure that is what BG3 is intended to be. I don't see why they would want another studio making what is basically the same thing.

Thare is room to use the IP and setting for games that aren't CRPGs, just as there is room for novels, cartoons and movies. So long as the developer knows what kind of game they are making and doesn't get confused/try to swap horses midstream which seems to be what happened with Sword Coast Leg Ends.

You could make an action game with little or no RPG elements, like God of War for example.

You could make an ARPG like Diablo (although I think Grim Dawn is the best of those at the moment).

You could make a MMO, but since there is one (not very good, admittedly), I would avoid it for now.

There is a whole raft of strategy games you could make, where you are controlling armies rather than characters - D&D strategy games have been done in the past, anyone else remember Stronghold?

There are a plenty of D&D settings, and ways to use 5e in a CRPG that they would be in the same genre, but not the same thing. There is tons of room for different 5e CRPGs.

 

[gyor]

I played Champions Online and Neverwinter Online until I reached the level 60. I tried City of Heroes and I didn't like the gameplay, nor DDO, when my PC had to point to the boxes to be destroyed. I didn't end the creation of the character in DC because I couldn't choose the right color with my computer mouse.

I don't like the turn-base-games. Once I saw somebody playing Final Fantasy in a cybercafe and it was boring always with the same powers. The first time is spectacular, but after it becomes monotone.

* I wonder how should be an Oriental Adventures videogame for the Asian players from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, maybe adding new races as the kemonomimi (= "animal ears")?

* If killing zombies is popular now, why not a videogame set in Innistrad, the Überwald region of gothic horror from Magic the Gathering where PCs have to act as in Fortnite: save the world or "State of Decay", gathering/harvesting resources, and creating a stronghold with traps (as a tower defense game, for example "Orcs must Die"). I hope this little suggestion help to create a ARPG with its special style.

A Kara Tur or Al Qadim centred CRPG is absolutely apossiblity and would be cool.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

If Asian studios can produce their own oriental fantasy worlds the WotC can do it too, but I advice to listen feedback from Asian countries, not only Japaneses.




(Search animation Alan Walker, or stelar transformation in youtube and you will find Asian fantasy)

The kemonomimi as PC race in a new OA wouldn't be racist or offensive. Has anybody complained when they have appeared in other titles? Examples:

the elin from Tera

The viera, usagimimi from Final Fantasy.

Miqo'te, nekomimi from Final Fantasy.

Mascu, from Bless Online (Neowiz Co doesn't sound like the name by a company from Switzerland)

Anrhi, from League of Legends.

We are talking about fantasy races, concepts are being used in Asian videogames.

Haven't you seen oriental fantasy for D&D or Pathfinder published by 3rd Parties?

One of the reasons I support a new Oriental Adventures is precisely because manganime, manhua and manhwa (Korean manga) help to know other cultures and fight xenophobes prejudices. If I was Chinese I would want to support wuxia fantasy in western culture to fight sinophobia. Kung-fu 60's serie helped Western public to know more about Chinese culture. Japaneses notice manga-anime help to improve their country as "brand".

Is anybody to tell me now I can't enjoy "1001 nights" (Aladin, Simbad the sailor, the thief of Bagdad) because it "cultural appropriation"?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There are a plenty of D&D settings, and ways to use 5e in a CRPG that they would be in the same genre, but not the same thing. There is tons of room for different 5e CRPGs.

Not at this time. Once you had developed a functional 5e CRPG engine, then you could let it out to different studios to create games with, in the way Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment spun off from Baldur's Gate. But a CRPG engine is far to difficult and expensive to develop for one company to try to reinvent the horse twice over.