Hasbro’sWizards Of The Coasthas announced the cancellation of five video games it has been developing. In a statement toBloomberg, theDungeons & Dragonsdeveloper says it is seeking to only focus on games that have a future. This latest development indicates that the “seven or eight” projects previously announced by Wizards in 2019 may not see the light of day.
The cancellations come in the wake of a promising 2022 that saw Wizards Of The Coast open additional studios in cities like Texas, Montreal, and Austin. Besides the new studios, Wizards already hasBaldur’s Gate 3, which is still in its early access and overshadows the mixed reactions in Dark Alliance. Wizards of the Coast has also had a successful push into the digital space through the Magic The Gathering Arena. But according to the latest statement from the company’s spokesperson, things are now taking a different direction.
“We remain committed to using digital games as a cornerstone of our strategy for bringing our games to players around the world. We have made some changes to our long-term portfolio to focus on games which are strategically aligned with developing our existing brands and those which show promise in expanding or engaging our audience in new ways,” a spokesperson from Wizards Of The Coast said.
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Fans of Dark Alliance and the recent Baldur’s Gate 3 should breathe a sigh of relief now that the company clarifies that it’ll focus on existing brands. The two games were presumably part of the “seven to eight” games Wizards claimed to be in the works back in 2019, and their subsequent release means they’re here to stay. The sudden change in a long-term portfolio mainly impacts the signed contract game-makers pursuing the remaining 5 or 6 new video game projects.
We know that OtherSide Entertainment and Washington-based Hidden Path Entertainment were working on a D&D open-world game and postedjob vacanciesto that effect. In addition, the Invoke Studios that Wizards acquired recently reported incorporating the Unreal 5 engine in developing a D&D-derived AAA game. Anothersci-fi RPG narrative by ex-BioWare developersChristian Dailey and James Ohlen was also underway.
While we’re yet to ascertain the particular titles that Wizard of The Coast dropped in 2023, we know that new game series are the most likely to be on the chopping board. Already, 15 employees have lost their jobs but can reapply for different positions. Wizards’ focus is now on Baldur’s Gate 3, seeking a positive reception even after its full release in August.
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