Wizards of the Coast unveils dark Dungeons & Dragons game

Wizards of the Coast and Invoke Studios have announced WARLOCK: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, a third-person single-player action-adventure game set in a dark fantasy open world.

The game is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, with launch planned for 2027. Montreal-based Invoke Studios is part of Wizards of the Coast.

Players take on the role of Kaatri, a veteran warrior who makes a pact to wield otherworldly magic against dark powers. The character will be brought to life through full performance capture by Tricia Helfer, known for Battlestar Galactica and Lucifer.

According to the companies, the game blends exploration and combat through its use of magic. Spells are used to open routes and uncover paths in the world, while combat combines melee fighting with magic.

Studio debut

WARLOCK is the first Dungeons & Dragons title announced by Invoke. The studio says its team includes developers who have previously worked on franchises such as Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Deus Ex.

The announcement adds another video game project tied to Dungeons & Dragons as Wizards of the Coast expands beyond tabletop publishing. The title is also part of a broader lineup of upcoming big-budget games across both original properties and established settings.

Invoke General Manager Dominic Guay called the collaboration with Wizards of the Coast central to the project's development.

"Working with our colleagues at Wizards of the Coast on a brand as rich as D&D has given the team the creative freedom and support to build a new ambitious open-world experience for players. We're excited to finally announce WARLOCK and looking forward to sharing gameplay details in the future," Guay said.

Dark fantasy

The companies framed WARLOCK around the risks tied to magic in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The title refers to a character class associated with supernatural power gained through a pact, a theme that appears central to Kaatri's story.

Wizards of the Coast President John Hight linked that theme directly to the game's setting and the player character's powers.

"Warlocks wield powerful, otherworldly magic, but it always comes at a cost," Hight said. "Invoke has crafted a world that captures the dangerous wonder at the heart of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS where players can push the limits of Kaatri's magic and discover what lies beyond."

Wizards of the Coast is best known for Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. In recent years, it has built a network of internal studios and external development partners for digital games. Its first-party studios include Archetype Entertainment, Invoke Studios, Atomic Arcade, and Skeleton Key.

The new title points to a darker take on the Dungeons & Dragons setting for video games, focusing on a lone protagonist rather than the party-based structure more commonly associated with the franchise. It also emphasizes open-world action-adventure design over systems more closely tied to tabletop play.

While few gameplay details have been disclosed, the announcement suggests a structure built around spell use in both traversal and combat. That points to progression based on unlocking new areas through magical abilities while using those same powers in battle.

For Wizards of the Coast, the game extends the Dungeons & Dragons brand into another genre at a time when publishers continue to seek long-running fantasy properties that can support multiple formats. For Invoke, it marks the studio's first public test under the Wizards banner with a title tied to one of fantasy gaming's best-known names.

Kaatri is portrayed through full performance capture by the award-winning Tricia Helfer.