Wizards of the Coast has cancelled at least five unannounced video games, two of which being titles in the Dungeons & Dragons series.
The news was broken by Bloomberg, reporting that indie studios such as Otherside Entertainment and Hidden Path Entertainment have now had their projects cancelled. It should be noted there was no notice on the nature of all the cancelled titles, but Dungeons & Dragons does appear in what we do know.
“Currently, we are working on a AAA open-world, third person, single player RPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe,” reads a statement on Hidden Path Entertainment’s jobs page, wherein the developer still makes mention of the D&D project.
Bleeding Cool reports Otherside Entertainment was working on a game set in the Forgotten Realms universe. Tuque Games (acquired by Wizards of the Coast in 2019) were also reportedly working on a new title, but there had been no news after the launch of Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance.
One unannounced game code-named “Jabberwocky” was being developed by one of Wizards of the Coast’s own studios, while two other titles from external studios — reportedly only in the early stages of development — were also canned.
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A Wizards of the Coast spokesperson told Bloomberg that less than 15 people would be losing jobs due to the recent cancellations — pointing out, however, that these employees would be given the option to apply for new roles within the company’s many studios.
The spokesperson insisted Wizards of the Coast was still “committed to using digital games,” noting that the company “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.”
Recent Dungeons & Dragons video games have been a mixed bag. In 2018, Neverwinters Nights: Enhanced Edition had a lukewarm reception (though far more positive on Steam), while the aforementioned Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance was despised by players in 2021. Met with favorably Early Access reviews on Steam and GOG, the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 seems to be the shining beacon.
Though loathed by players due to its grindy free-to-play nature and unfair RNG, 2018’s Magic The Gathering: Arena was very positively received by critics.
The news may be a ripple effect from problems suffered by Wizards of the Coast’s parent company, Hasbro. Bloomberg notes their shares fell 40% last year. In November of 2022, Hasbro announced they would be selling Entertainment One (eOne), who had been attempting to get a Dungeons & Dragons live-action TV series off the ground.
The sale was a means to help reduce costs by up to $300 million, cutting losses on a decade-long plan to expand Hasbro into TV and movies (licensing for Transformers and My Little Pony aside), and counteracting inflation cutting into toy and game sales. At the time, Hasbro reportedly stated to investors they would be targeting on “fewer, bigger, more profitable brands.”
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