Critical Role has said that it is in “active pursuit” of a video game deal, potentially expanding the team’s reach even further.
The team of voice actors, headed by Matt Mercer, has become a powerhouse in the geek publishing world with its ownD&Dcampaign streaming series, its own campaign settings, novels, an Amazon Prime animated series, its own tabletop game, and more.
From humble beginnings
Critical Role startedas part of the Geek & Sundry channel and essentially streamed a group of voice-actor friends playingD&Dcampaigns. In 2019, Critical Role decided to move away from Geek & Sundry. The split led to the decline of Geek & Sundry but also saw Critical Role go from strength to strength with the creative freedom it desired.
In September 2024, Geek & Sundry partnered with Realm Media and started to produce new content. In contrast, Critical Role has amassed more than 2 million followers on YouTube and is just concluding its third streamed campaign. Those campaigns have spawned novels, comics, and even an animated show on Amazon Prime.
There have already been three full seasons ofThe Legend of Vox Machinaaired on Amazon Prime, and a fourth season has been announced. The show is essentially an animated version of the group’s streamed campaigns and features all of the cast from the mainstream as voice actors in the show. A fourth season of the show was commissioned around the time the final episode of season three aired.
Critical Role games
Matt Mercer, Critical Role’s Dungeon Master, has announced the launch of his own TTRPG,coming in 2025.Daggerheartaims to do things differently from traditionalDungeons & Dragons,and the game’s early rules show that it is meant to be more narrative-based.
One criticism that has been leveled at the system is against that of the combat system. There’s no rolling for initiative, which is howD&Ddetermines who will attack or move first. Instead, fight order and actions are determined narratively. This effectively means that players and the DM will be able to determine play order on the fly. This lack of structure will please those who struggle withD&D’srigid structure, but it won’t appeal to die-hard TTRPG fans.
Mercer is the architect behind Critical Role’s homebrew adventures, andDaggerheartis designed for homebrew DMs, which makes perfect sense. And, with Critical Role’s success,Daggerheartwill likely enjoy a similar level of popularity.
During aninterview with Rolling Stone, the Critical Role team talked about legacy and what was next for them. They said they were actively pursuing a video game move, and suggested that an announcement could be made as soon as the end of this year or the beginning of 2025. They also said that they hoped to one day pass the Critical Role baton on to another team of creators.
There have been no further details about a likely video game, except that it will be separate from the team’sD&Dstreaming adventures andVox Machina. Players should probably expect something more on the narrative side of gaming, rather than aD&D-style game likeBaldur’s Gate 3.
More from Critical Role
In the meantime, Critical Role fans have a lot more content to look forward to. The gang is releasing a Christmas album featuring songs performed by the Critical Role cast both as themselves and as their characters from the stream. The track list includesSilent MindandDeck the Bear. It is available on streaming platforms, while standard and deluxe vinyl editions can also be pre-ordered for delivery in Spring 2025.
Fans of the second campaign will be able to readTusk Love.Tusk Lovewas originally featured in the second campaign as an inside joke, but the smutty novel is due to be published by Penguin Randon House.Tusk Lovehas been written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Gauzon and is the 7thbook published as part of the collaboration between Penguin and the Critical Role team.
You’re not dreaming, the long-awaited Tusk Love is real and heading to a bedside table near you! 🦷🦷 💕We’re thrilled to announce the extra saucy romance novel beloved by Jester (and tolerated by The Mighty Nein) is now available for pre-order from our friends at…pic.twitter.com/SS8h9Iyrjt
