It’s a question that has echoed through Critter communities for years, and today there’s an answer: a video game set in the world of Exandria is officially in development.
The actual play behemoth Critical Role has announced a partnership with AdHoc Studio to co-develop the company’s first-ever computer game. The independent studio, founded by veterans from Telltale Games, Ubisoft, and Night School Studio, is recognised for its work on acclaimed interactive narrative titles such as Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us.
While the project is still in its early stages, the choice of partner provides a strong indication of the game’s potential direction. AdHoc Studio specialises in choice-based narrative experiences, a style that seems a natural fit for the story-rich world of Exandria.
Travis Willingham, CEO and cast member of Critical Role, suggested the game will not be a sprawling AAA title with a five-year development cycle. Instead, the team is aiming for what he described as a “Goldilocks zone” project. He noted,
Taking on an interactive project is such a large endeavor. It has to be a Goldilocks zone for us.”
This approach suggests a more focused production, potentially with a timeline closer to two years.
Willingham also hinted at the game’s story, suggesting it will be something entirely new rather than a direct adaptation of an existing campaign.
I think it would have to be something brand-new in terms of storyline,” he said, speculating that it could be set between the major campaigns and feature familiar characters from Vox Machina, the Mighty Nein, or Bells Hells.
The collaboration between the two companies began when Willingham received an audition for AdHoc’s own upcoming title, DISPATCH. Impressed by the material, he reached out to the studio directly.
Willingham said,
Just from looking over the audition and game materials, I knew there was something special about what AdHoc was creating and I immediately reached out. The design, tone, style and storytelling of DISPATCH jumped off the page, and I knew given the pedigree of the folks at AdHoc, this was a team we wanted to collaborate with.”
This initial contact has led to a two-pronged partnership. Not only are the companies co-developing the Exandria game, but Critical Role will also collaborate on DISPATCH and its future brand development, which could include merchandise and even a tabletop game.
DISPATCH is described as a superhero workplace comedy where players manage a dysfunctional team of heroes, balancing office politics with emergency response. The voice cast for the game includes Critical Role’s own Matthew Mercer and Laura Bailey, alongside actors Aaron Paul and Jeffrey Wright, and popular creators JackSepticEye and MoistCr1TiKaL.
Michael Choung, CEO of AdHoc, commented on the new partnership.
It’s the kind of collaboration you hope for. We’ve known the Critical Role team for years, so 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.”
As often covered here on Geek Native, Critical Role has expanded far beyond its actual play roots into a full-fledged media company. With two animated series, The Legend of Vox Machina and the upcoming Mighty Nein, at Amazon Prime Video, a successful tabletop publishing arm in Darrington Press, and a non-profit organisation, the Critical Role Foundation, a video game feels like a logical next step in bringing their stories to a wider audience.
With development in its nascent stages, fans will be watching AdHoc’s upcoming release of DISPATCH later this year with even greater interest, as it may offer the first glimpse of the narrative style we can expect to see in Exandria’s interactive debut.
