Wizards of the Coast Cancels Five Unannounced Games as It Focuses on Developing ‘Existing Brands’
According to a new report, Wizards of the Coast has canceled at least five unannounced games as it seeks to focus on games that “strategically align with existing brand development.” bloomberg.
It’s unclear which games were canceled, but Wizards of the Coast claims fewer than 15 company employees were affected by the changes. In a statement, the company told IGN:
We remain committed to using digital games as the basis of our strategy to bring our games to players around the world. We’ve made some changes to our long-term portfolio to focus on games that strategically align with existing brand developments and games that demonstrate the potential to expand or engage audiences in new ways.
Hidden Path Entertainment and OtherSide Entertainment, which were working on Wizards of the Coast games, are among the studios that may be affected by the cancellation.
The cancellation comes in the wake of an ambitious 2022 expansion in which the company has opened several new studios. Key and Invoke Games, a Montreal-based studio formed by the developers of 2021’s Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance.
In addition to Invoke Games and Skeleton Key reveals, Wizards of the Coast has released Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios. There were also several other games in the works, including his sci-fi role-playing game by former BioWare developer James Ohlen and a game by Atomic Arcade starring GI Joe’s Snake Eyes.
In its foray into the digital space, Wizards of the Coast found success with Magic: The Gathering Arena, but Tuque Games’ revival of Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance was panned by both fans and critics. Hasbro, likewise, saw its stock price plummet late last year over the handling of Magic: The Gathering, including an expensive 30th anniversary edition that sparked outrage among fans.
Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are hopeful that Baldur’s Gate 3, due for full release in August, will be well received.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s Senior News Editor and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Any tips? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
