Open World Dungeons and Dragons Game Is Officially On The Way
Fetch the keys to the jail and spread those scaly wings because an open world Dungeons & Dragons game is officially in the works. Starting out life as a tabletop game nearly 50 years ago, D&D has grown to be a cultural phenomenon that's moved to everything from live-action movies to 3D video games. While D&D games are nothing new, the concept of a AAA release that capitalises on open world mechanics is a potential money-spinner.
Alongside Marvel's Spider-Man and the ongoing success of the Assassin's Creed series, we've got the upcoming release on an open world Harry Potter game and Ubisoft's work on an open world Star Wars. In terms of fantasy favourites, Dungeons & Dragons has the potential to go all the way. Even if there isn't much to go on, consider us suitably excited. There are already multiple D&D video game projects in the works, but now, there's a new studio that wants to roll the dice.
What is the open world Dungeons & Dragons game?
Developer Hidden Path Entertainment announced that it's working on a AAA, third-person, open-world fantasy game (it's a mouthful) that's set in the lore of Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Hidden Path's tweet confirmed it's currently hiring for the game, but apart from that, didn't give away too many other details. The developer is recruiting a Graphics Programmer, Lead Graphics Programmer, Senior Technical Artist, and Writer.
The listings are asking for "voiced dialogue writing skills", "narrative branching skills", and staff that have experience with "strong ensemble casts". Putting it all together, it's exactly what we've come to expect from an RPG with a healthy bank balance. Then again, is Hidden Path already setting itself up for a fall with such lofty ambitions?
A big pull of the open world Dungeons & Dragons is the fact Whitney "Strix" Beltràn is attached to the game as Narrative Director. Known for tabletop game Bluebird's Bride, the horror RPG was based in French folklore and saw players take control of the titular bride's psyche. It was an award-winning game that was praised for its female-first narrative, but it remains to be seen if Beltràn adds these themes to D&D. Either way, Strix says she's been working on the game for a while now.
What else can we expect from an open world Dungeons & Dragons game?
As for Hidden Path, it's known for Defense Grid: The Awakening and working with Valve on the Counter-Strike games. The developer has also worked on the Age of Empires II: HD Edition and most recently released Raccoon Lagoon in 2019. A post on the Hidden Path website gave one final piece of information with the confirmation the D&D project will be made using Unreal Engine 4. Considering character customisation is integral to D&D, this perfectly fits an open world landscape.
Even if Dungeons & Dragons has come and gone in popularity over the years, there's a renewed interest in the legendary franchise. Alongside Wizards of the Coast publishing a new Dark Alliance game from Tuque Games, there's the early access release of Larian's Baldur's Gate 3. An open world D&D sounds like a major leap forward for Hidden Path, but with a proven track record, we can't wait to see what the developer can deliver.
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