7mo ago

Critical Role's plans to make a videogame have become an 'active pursuit', says CEO Travis Willingham, after almost 10 years of growing a D&D campaign into a full-on franchise

www.pcgamer.com Critical Role's plans to make a videogame have become an 'active pursuit', says CEO Travis Willingham, after almost 10 years of growing a D&D campaign into a full-on franchise

"We are starting to come to the end of a long road."

PC Gaming @lemmy.ca

www.pcgamer.com /games/rpg/critical-roles-plans-to-make-a-videogame-have-become-an-active-pursuit-says-ceo-travis-willingham-after-almost-10-years-of-growing-a-d-and-d-campaign-into-a-full-on-franchise/

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It feels like this has disaster written all over it.
Sorry if I'm harshing anyone's vibe, but I can't escape the feeling that a group of people whose main involvement in the games industry is as voice talent are basically saying "How hard could it be?" and not understanding that the answer is "Very."
Ideally they would team up with an experienced studio to build something off of their creative ideas. But if they try to do this whole thing themselves, it has the makings of a Wha Happen? episode all over it.
Maybe it'll work. They pulled off Vox Machina, so who knows. I'd certainly like to be wrong. But I can't help but feel like we'll all be talking about the fallout from this in five years, when eager backers are still waiting for the game they were promised.
- What backers? Did they say it was kickstarted anywhere? I think they've got their own funding sources at this point.
  
  Hey, if they're actually securing funding for this instead of pushing the cost off onto eager fans, good for them. At least they're doing one thing right. Unfortunately that only increases the potential for this to turn into a trash fire that sinks their whole company.
  Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

I'm interested but not especially optimistic. Depends on who is actually making the game, I believe they know tabletop games well, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a CRPG.
Random aside, the article says Marisha Ray voiced Jaina Proudmoore, but it was really Laura Bailey.

Critical Role could always licence another official D&D game with Hasbro...but my Insight check's telling me that they might try and spin up something out of Daggerheart.
Eh, I hope not. I'm not really liking what I see in Daggerheart's hope/fear system and how it interferes with initiative, especially. Plus it reminds me of that subplot from Donnie Darko.
It's already a game that uses cards, after all, and I can very easily see its systems making for a solid turn-based tactics game. Or maybe they're not gonna start small, and just barrel full steam ahead into an ambitious CRPG
I'll bet you can make a small CRPG for the cost of what their merch store brings in in a year, akin to the Kickstarter era from a decade ago, and that's if they want to be cautious with their spending. Given the layoffs of the past two years, they've likely had their pick of any talent they wanted to hire to realize whatever it is they're building.
- Larian told Hasbro to fuck off for a BG3 DLC and/or sequel, so there's definitely an opening for someone to pick up that torch. That said, I also think they'll go with their own system and brand.
  
  Larian told Hasbro to fuck off for a BG3 DLC and/or sequel
  That's definitely not how I've ever seen it framed.
  I think Critical Role has an incentive to use their own system, but it's not one that I'm excited about.
- I liked what I played of Daggerheart, and its hope/fear. I just don't think it would translate well into s video game. They're very different mediums and I don't think it's crunchy enough to play well as a video game.
  Ironically, I think a Critical Role game doesn't need to really be based on any ttrpg. Could just be an action rpg.
- I'm holding out for a Mörk Borg game

I'm worried they aren't skilled enough to do it, they just want that sweet BG3 money.
- They literally have been connected to video games development their entire career. They are voice actors. They do that shit all the time.

After Larian is done with ~~The Witcher 4~~ whatever their next project(s) are, they should pair up. Infinite money glitch
edit: dumb
- Did you mean CD Projekt Red?
  
  Got a little mixed up there, I recalled hearing that Larian already had plans for their next game after BG3 but my brain incorrectly autofilled Witcher as what that game was - that's not even the right developer. Silly brain.

A great D&D video game just came out recently, and will be the biggest player for a while. How do they plan to outshine BG3?
- Do they need to outshine bg3? Releasing a crpg based on their characters and world I'm sure would do well enough with their audience. I'm imagining just pillars of eternity 2 with a critical role skin.
  
  Any RPG will be compared to BG3.
- Are they projecting a release in like two years? Could be viable.
  
  It's an "active pursuit" which sounds like they have nothing yet. So I doubt it will even be 2 years.

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