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Cancelled 'Dungeons & Dragons' RPG By 'Counter Strike: GO' Developer Leaked Online
Gameplay footage and concept art from developer Hidden Path Entertainment's cancelled Dungeons and Dragons RPG have leaked online, offering a glimpse at an open-world RPG that almost was.
Hidden Path, the studio behind the Defense Grid series and co-developers of the 2012 multiplayer FPS Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , first started working on the project four years ago, as made known via a series of job listings by the studio for a 'AAA, third-person, open-world fantasy RPG that will be taking place inside the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.'
The project, codenamed Project Dante , was unfortunately short-lived, as one of the studio's founders, Michael Austin, announced its cancellation in 2024 via a post on LinkedIn, stating that the studio had been 'in numerous active discussions to find replacement funding', and ultimately had 'no choice but to pause development on that project and reduce the company size until we have an opportunity to return to it', letting go 44 developers as a result.
Now, an eight-minute video and various concept art for the doomed title have leaked online, offering a tease of what could have been. This leak comes from MP1st, with gameplay clips showcasing its third-person exploration and combat. The game would have featured a companion system, with the leaked video detailing the player character accompanied by two other characters, Kavir and Ri Om, who assist with combat and puzzle-solving. Early footage of its cinematics, voice work and even an entire song sung by NPCs were shown, although most were place-holders.
A collection of concept art was also leaked, including various Dungeons and Dragons imagery like a five-headed hydra, a party facing off against a volcanic dragon, and an adorable white cat with wings, alongside art for the various characters players would meet in the game.
According to MP1st, the game was believed to be near the final stages of its development when it was cancelled, with its unfortunate fate likely being a part of a series of five cancellations by publisher Wizards of the Coast in early 2023, making it a real shame that a project so far along in its development was axed so suddenly.
Still, there are many more Dungeons and Dragons titles in the works for fans of the iconic tabletop franchise, including a single player action-adventure game from the former director of Respawn's Star Wars Jedi games, Stig Asmussen, and his new studio Gian Skull, alongside a magic-focused title from Ubisoft alumni Jeff Hattem's Invoke Studios. Let's hope these titles will actually see the light of day and not suffer the same fate as Project Dante .
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Dungeons & Dragons Hidden Path Entertainment Leaks
