Critical Role, the tabletop role-playing group which created The Legend of Vox Machina (amongst other cross-media Dungeons & Dragons campaigns), has announced it’s working on a video game set in the magical realm of Exandria.
As first reported by Variety, the group has paired up with AdHoc Studio for the project, and will also work closely with this team on Dispatch‘s brand development, including for ‘animated series, merchandise, and tabletop gaming.’ Per reporting, the partnership kicked off when voice actor and Critical Role CEO Travis Willingham auditioned for Dispatch, and was ‘impressed’ by the narrative design and overarching plot, seeing potential in an expansion.
Dispatch will feature the voice talent of Willingham, as well as fellow Critical Role members Matthew Mercer and Laura Bailey.
For now, it appears plans for the Criticial Role video game adaptation are slowly gestating, as the focus remains on Dispatch. But even with the game reportedly ‘still a few years’ away, there’s plenty of reasons to keep an eye on developments.
Critical Role video game may take cues from Dispatch
While Dispatch is set to be the first game released by AdHoc Studio, it’s a team led by veterans of Telltale Games (The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead), Ubisoft, and Night School Studio (Oxenfree). Dispatch is a product of that experience, bringing cool ideas about narrative and the impact of choice on gameplay.
Speaking to Variety, Willingham said this game’s concepts excite the team greatly. The format of Dispatch will seemingly inspire the upcoming Exandria-set game, particularly the idea of players making choices which may reshape their path.
‘We’re tossing around ideas, what are we thinking about in terms of scope and budget, and some of the things we must have,’ Willingham said. ‘You are going to want to see your favourite characters.’
The game has been described as ‘something unique in the world of Exandria’ and something ‘brand-new’ for Critical Role’s overarching storyline. It does appear the team is keen to have familiar characters appear, but these could be cameos in an original story. The game could also fill the gaps between Critical Role’s most popular campaigns (Vox Machina, Mighty Nein, Bells Hells), or it could be something else entirely.
‘Taking on an interactive project is such a large endeavour,’ Willingham said. ‘It has to be a Goldilocks zone for us.’
While many details are yet to be worked out, including scope and investment, it appears the Critical Role team is excited about the possibilities. With various tie-in media (like Amazon’s The Legend of Vox Machine series) going on to great success, there’s no doubt a Critical Role video game has the potential to succeed, given the right time and approach.
For now, we’ll have to stay tuned to hear more about what’s in the works, as it progresses. In the meantime, Dispatch is set to launch in 2025, so it won’t be long before we hear more from AdHoc Studio.
Also on ScreenHub: Pokemon Presents July 2025: Every big announcement
Pokemon Presents returned in July 2025, with a solid showcase revealing more about Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Pokemon Concierge, and more upcoming projects. We got a new game announcement, for cosy puzzler Pokemon Friends, and the reveal of new content for Pokemon’s biggest mobile games.
The delightful Pokemon Concierge is set to return to Netflix on 4 September 2025. As revealed in a new trailer, this series will introduce a host of new Pokemon friends, including a Sealeo and his trainer, who share a strong bond. Given the tone of this trailer, and that characters are already crying about their Pokemon, we expect this season will be just as wholesome and emotional as its predecessor.
