Chances are if you're familiar at all with tabletop gaming, you have heard of Critical Role. For many, it was their introduction to Dungeons and Dragons and to tabletop RPGs. But now, it seems that the team at Critical Role will be expanding their fantasy series beyond to other mediums, including video games.
This foray into video games was mentioned in an extensive article on Variety. One of Critical Role's agents, Matthew Cohen, has been in talks with publishers and studios about producing a video game based on the series' setting of Exandria. Better still, Cohen has confirmed that production has entered its early stages. Cohen stated, "We have to be very particular about what that means and who the partners are." This is true, especially when you look at the more critically divisive video games that have carried the Dungeons and Dragons license over the years. While any idea of who Critical Role will be working with on this project is in the air they have worked with Obsidian Entertainment in the past for Critical Role themed voice packs and portraits based on their Vox Machina characters.
As for the potential a Critical Role video game could have, there is plenty to pull from. The web series started life on Felicia Day's Geek and Sundry back in 2015 and has since grown into a bona fide phenomenon. The series itself is currently on its third season, and the Critical Role group themselves have evolved from a humble streaming show to a multimedia company in its own right. They've sold licensed comic books, novels, miniatures, and other merchandise. They've even officially partnered with Wizards of the Coast to create official DnD supplements for the setting of Exandria such as Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, and have even announced an official pre-written adventure titled Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep.
But arguably it's biggest breakthrough success is Critical Role's upcoming Vox Machina animated series. What originally started as a Kickstarter campaign to make a small half hour animated special quickly became one of the services' biggest successes, racking up $11 million in crowdfunding support. This got the attention of Amazon, which partnered with Critical Role and animation studio Titmouse to produce two seasons of the show for a total of 24 episodes. This is all thanks in part to Critical Role's massive and passionate fanbase.
Despite such humble beginnings, it seems that the world of Critical Role isn't going away anytime soon. What started as a simple tabletop RPG session with several acclaimed voice-actors has expanded into a sprawling fantasy franchise in of itself. Here's to that particular magic reaching a new audience on consoles and PCs soon.
