WotC 7 Digital D&D Games In Development

Following up on the Hasbro earnings call a couple of weeks ago, WotC"s CEO Chris Cocks announced at New York Toy Fair (D&D comes up after about an hour of the audio - a lot of it is about Magic: The Gathering) that there are seven digital D&D games in development, with at least one coming per year. Unfortunately, there's no other solid information.

Of course, 'digital' can mean anything from full-fledged console or PC games to mobile and Facebook games.

What we already knew:

• WotC acquired Tuque, a video games company last year which is working on a brand new D&D video game called D&D: Dark Alliance.
• There is also, of course, Baldur's Gate 3 coming soon.
• Archetype Entertainment is WotC own new video game studio headed by ex-Bioware staff.

There was a slide show at the event which you can view online. D&D doesn't feature much in it, as it covers all of Hasbro's brands. One of them does feature a small image of a mobile game, though - looks like the existing Warriors of Waterdeep rather than a new game.

 

[Mercador]

I only have faith for the Larian one (BG3) unfortunately.

 

[AriochQ]

It is an interesting conundrum for a large company like Hasbro. Profits from RPG's are a pittance compared to video games, which are a pittance compared to movies, but the RPG is the basis of your IP. They need to walk the fine line of staying loyal to the fan base, and IP, while simultaneously trying to expand that fan base through other mediums to increase profits.

 

[Wolfram stout]

I am not much of a video gamer, and don't do online play at all, but BG3 has my attention, Dark Alliance so far does not (based on the little info we have). If the other 5 fall inbetween those two then that is a good spread and probably a winning strategy.

Just my 2 cents worth

 

[atanakar]

I don't play digital games. Last time I played was Diablo II... I'm due to upgrade my computer in a year or so. Maybe I could try one of these games. If I still have a table top group going I would rather spend time preparing sessions and playing face-to-face.

 

[Azurewraith]

Be interesting to see how this turns out but I just don't really see dnd games working well, the magic of dnd is the interactions between the assembled group and the improv which is lost when your playing a game and it just becomes another RPG set in X setting.

 

[Morrus]

Be interesting to see how this turns out but I just don't really see dnd games working well, the magic of dnd is the interactions between the assembled group and the improv which is lost when your playing a game and it just becomes another RPG set in X setting.

Baldurs Gate 1&2, Neverwinter Nights, Planescape: Torment, and more say otherwise!

 

[Azurewraith]

I have recently played planesscape torment and while great it just felt like another RPG don't get me wrong it was a great game but if I didn't know it was dnd I would have never figured known.

 

[MrZeddaPiras]

I have recently played planesscape torment and while great it just felt like another RPG don't get me wrong it was a great game but if I didn't know it was dnd I would have never figured known.

Planescape and the AD&D ruleset do not feel like D&D to you?

 

[grimslade]

The problem is almost all CRPGs have coopted D&Disms. There is very little to distinguish an Official D&D CRPG from the rest of the current offerings, other than IP. This is why we are seeing Dark Alliance and the presence of Drizzt and Bruenor and BG3 first out of the gate. I am not expecting an amazing game experience out of Dark Alliance, but it is there to put some IP out in front. Larian will take that and run with it, I hope. Then the digital offerings will expand out to a mobile game or two. I expect one will be geared for the Asian market with microtransactions. The other 3 are up in the air. I do not see another MMO for D&D, but I don't know what else wouldn't saturate a market unless they push an Eberron themed console centric game like Dark Alliance.