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.

 

[CleverNickName]

Hours I spend playing tabletop RPGs >> Hours I spend playing single-player RPG video games >> Hours I spend on the moon > Minutes I spend playing MMORPGs.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Today is not the best age for online multiplayer videogames. You have to spend for the servers and without enough players you don't make money. My suggestion is to create videogames with optional off-mode mode, at least because sometimes you would rather a videogame where you can use the pause to answer the door-bell or phone ringing.

I have said in a previous post the main candidates to a no-FR games are Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Dark Sun and Spelljammer. I bet they would love a new Dragonlance as AAA videogame. The lest known lines could be used like guinea pig to riskier ideas, for example Birthright for a strategy game, or Mystara to a classic beat'em arcade by Capcom.

Other possibility is some "little" videogame studio could sell a smashing-hit title, and this later can be adapted as D&D canon, like Exandria by Critical Role, or Adquisition Inc.

* Almost off-topic. I have seen in comicbook Avalong Hill is going to publish a board game with the licence Scooby-Doo, Hanna-Barbera's character, now by Warner. I wonder about future Hasbro titles with Warner's licence, and not only the classic action figures. Wouldn't you like the Pirate of the Dark Waters cartoon as a TTRPG? The action figures were produced by Hasbro.

 

[CapnZapp]

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.

As I've said elsewhere, the end result is losing sight of the ttrpg once you start looking at greener pastures.

 

[Reynard]

Solasta has new gameplay videos up at IGN as part of their Summer of Gaming event. It looks like it is shaping up really nicely.

 

[wicked cool]

just watched some actual gameplay for Dark Alliance (sorry for the necro on this thread)

Looks like a fun couch coop gameplay game that is lite on roleplay and decent on action. Could be a summer fun game for me and kids

 

[darjr]

PlayStation blog with actual play video.

Dark Alliance brings Dungeons & Dragons to life in an explosive action RPG, coming June 22

Take on the roles of the four most iconic D&D characters and battle across Icewind Dale in this co-op adventure.

blog.playstation.com

 

[Rikka66]

Today is not the best age for online multiplayer videogames.

Except it is. It really, really, is.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Except it is. It really, really, is.

I doubt it. They need a number of players, and incomes to keep the servers. We remember some titles with enough success, but too many have tried it and they failed, closing the servers some years after.

 

[ART!]

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.

It is tricky, which is one of the reasons the success of the MCU is so impressive - they seem to be walking that fine line really well. Nowadays, though, the monthly comics are a just an idea ranch for the merchandise, videogames, movies, tv, etc. The only advantages of the comics (for the big companies who own them) is their frequency, regularity, and ability to shift gears faster than tv, movie, or game production.

IIRC major videogame releases often make more money than even the big tentpole movies. Someone please confirm that or correct me.

 

[GreyLord]

Some major video game releases make more money than SOME of the big tentpole movies.

The most famous is probably Grand Theft Auto, moving almost 30 million copies (or more, it was 29 million within the first month) within it's first quarter.

At $60 a pop for a new game, that is 1.8 Billion dollars.

It has now sold over $140 million copies. If we take that at sale prices instead of new releases even, at $20 a pop, that makes 2.8 Billion dollars.

On the otherhand you have games that are released such as Anthem that do well initially but them drop and bomb so bad that even though they are MMO games, they die with a few short years later.