The Wayward Realms, a new open-world RPG, is one step closer to a Kickstarter campaign, as shared in a new video by OnceLost Games. First announced in 2021, The Wayward Realms is described as a “spiritual successor” to The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, but even bigger and more ambitious.
“The Wayward Realms is a first of its kind ‘grand RPG’ where your decisions dictate your story and determine which path you take in this massive, open world,” CEO Ted Peterson, formerly of Elder Scrolls games and Daggerfall, describes; the studio also touts Julian Lefay, who joined Peterson on these projects.
The game’s ‘grand RPG’ approach involves “returning to classic CRPG design philosophies” combined with “the latest technological achievements” through Unreal Engine 5.
The Steam page gets a little more in-depth as to what the game’s quirks are, promising in-depth lore, a flexible class system, and just sheer size. Cities can have hundreds or even thousands of NPCs, and the world’s landscapes are expanded through procedural generation. It also includes a dedicated “virtual Game Master” that crafts unique experiences for each player, though it’s unclear if this is also procedurally-generated or real person.
The upcoming Kickstarter aims to more fully fund an Early Access version, helping “turn our volunteer team into paid, full-time members” and progressing the game’s development enough to directly pitch developers with a playable version.
We don’t have an exact date for the Kickstarter yet, but the Kickstarter page is up so those interested can get a notification, and the team does say it aims for a spring 2024 launch.
