Revealed during gamescom’s Opening Night Live, the RPG features a dark, historical fantasy setting where every decision has a consequence - both in this world and others yet to be discovered. Developed with Unreal Engine 5, the game takes place in a fictionalized version of Portugal during the middle ages. Here, players will be challenged to question both their reality and the choices they make. The Washington DC-based studio was founded by Bethesda veteran Jeff Gardiner and co-founded by former Obsidian design director Charles Staples. Both spent 15 years at the respective companies, with Gardiner serving as lead producer and project lead across several titles in the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls franchises. Staples was the design director on The Outer Worlds and was head of the level design team on Fallout: New Vegas. “Our goal with Something Wicked Games is to utilize our independence and creative autonomy to create the next evolution of open world RPGs,” said Gardiner. “Our first project, Wyrdsong, has been my dream game for some time now, and I’m thrilled to finally share it today.” After a round of seed funding which saw $13.2 million invested by NetEase, Something Wicked Games is hiring across all positions. Currently staffed with 12 developers, the studio hopes to achieve a full roster between 65-70 as development continues to ramp up. A release date and platforms are to be announced, as Wyrdsong is currently in a pre-alpha phase.
