Wizards of the Coast has purchased Tuque Games, who will begin developing a game based on Dungeons & Dragons. The Montreal-based studio previously developed Livelock, a top-down action game. The most recent Dungeons & Dragons games were re-releases of the classic Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Editions, as well as Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Editions. There's also the upcoming Baldur's Gate 3 which was announced in May and is being developed Larian studios, the team behind Divinity: Original Sin 2.
While there have been many adaptations of the quintessential tabletop role-playing series, Dungeons & Dragons video games come in many genres. The video games used to be strict adaptations of the original's rules, but in recent years action-heavy games like Neverwinter have taken center stage. Even the recent mobile game Warriors of Waterdeep is a far cry from the dungeon-delving creation of Gary Gygax. With the Baldur's Gate series released on all current-generation consoles now, there's both strict and loose adaptations of the franchise available, not to mention the still thriving pen and paper variant.
For now, Tuque Games will be focusing on Dungeons & Dragons, although no new titles have been officially announced. Consisting of industry veterans, Tuque Games was founded in 2012, and currently holds 55 employees. In the press release, Wizards of the Coast VP of digital publishing, David Schwartz says the team at Tuque Games combines "the nimbleness of an indie studio with the veteran leadership and scale required to deliver complex AAA games."
Wizards of the Coast is hoping to bring out AAA quality Dungeons & Dragons games through this new partnership. Livelock, the last release by Tuque Games, was a frantic sci-fi shooter, however, Wizards of the Coast seems confident in their ability to deliver a game set in their classic fantasy setting. Schwartz goes on to say that he believes the partnership with Tuque Games will allow them to produce games faster than before. Wizards of the Coast also recently opened a new studio with the creator behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Allowing more developers access to the vast Dungeons & Dragons universe could breath new life into the franchise. Tuque Games only has one game under their belt, so a high profile property like Dungeons & Dragons should bring both a sense of honor and high pressure to the studio. Baldur's Gate 3 will be a tough title to beat, but since that game is being produced by RPG veterans, Tuque Games may be open to bringing something surprising to the table. As of right now, there's no telling what direction Wizards of the Coast will take this new game.