A Critical Role video game is officially in the works from a new independent studio full of gaming industry veterans. From the Exandria setting to the first timeline details, here’s what we know.
It’s been a full decade since Critical Role revolutionized Dungeons & Dragons content on the internet. Almost 400 mainline episodes later, not including countless one-shots and a plethora of spinoffs, it’s become a cultural juggernaut with millions of fans around the globe.
From an animated series on Prime Video to selling out arenas for live shows, the crew of acclaimed voice actors have become superstars. Now, they’re taking the D&D brand down a new path, rolling for initiative in the gaming industry.
After years of fans clamoring for a video game, the wish has finally been met. An official Critical Role game is now in the works, and while it’s early days yet, we’ve already got a rough idea of what to expect.
Critical Role video game details revealed
The Critical Role video game is being developed by newly formed indie team AdHoc Studio, as Variety revealed.
AdHoc Studio was founded by game dev veterans from Telltale Games, Ubisoft, and others. The company’s first game, Dispatch, is set to release later this year and features a stacked voice cast including Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright, MoistCr1TiKaL, and a fair few Critical Role members like Matthew Mercer, Laura Bailey, and Travis Willingham.
After seeing progress on Dispatch, it was Willingham who got in touch with AdHoc Studio on the idea of a Critical Role game in the same vein; a stylized, choice-driven narrative set in the world of Exandria.
In fact, the Critical Role team are such fans of Dispatch they’re also partnering on an animated series along with a tabletop experience to boot.
“We’ve known the Critical Role team for years,” AdHoc CEO Michael Choung said. “When we finally started kicking around ideas, it all just clicked. It made sense in the best way possible, so we’re thrilled we get to team up and cause some trouble together.”
When pressed on the focus of the game, Willingham teased fans will see “something unique in the world of Exandria. I think it would have to be something brand-new in terms of storyline.”
While there’s no confirmation just yet, he also implied the game might take place between Critical Role’s main campaigns to help flesh out the universe that little bit more.
Given the game has only just been announced, it’s still in the very early stages of development. As such, fans shouldn’t expect to get their hands on it for at least a few years, though the team is cautious of AAA development pipelines and hopes to avoid any 5+ year timelines.
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