Wizards of the Coast is launching Skeleton Key, a brand new game production studio led by former BioWare member and Dragon Age developer Christian Dailey.

Wizards of the Coast hasn’t had much luck with its video game forays over the years for all its rich IP inventory and strong franchises. The company has tried repeatedly to break through but has yet to really conquer the RPG video game audience with a true blockbuster, though its latest investment may be its most prominent yet in that regard.

Wizards of the Coast has now set up a brand new game development studio called Skeleton Key and seems to be focusing on producing full-fledged AAA games.

Perhaps most importantly, Skeleton Key will be headed by Christian Dailey, formerly a BioWare executive and one of the people responsible for the considerable success of the Dragon Age RPG.

Dailey announced on Twitter earlier today that Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast had intended for him to head up Skeleton Key from the start. Dailey’s previous work includes several notable BioWare projects, including Dragon Age: Origins. Dragon Age has gone down in gaming history as one of the most imaginative and complex fantasy worlds ever created, a massive cornerstone of Dailey’s career, and one that will make him a key asset to Skeleton Key in the long term.

Also of note, Christian Dailey worked on Anthem 2.0. Although that project never really took off, Dailey’s team worked hard to revive the game after its widely panned release, giving him essential experience working on live-action titles.

It could also be a path Wizards of the Coast hopes to explore with Skeleton Key in the future, though the studio has yet to announce much about its first AAA production.

Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro seem to have expanded their game production capabilities over the past few years. Last September, Hasbro announced the New Raleigh-Durham studio, whose first major project would be a third-person G.I. Joe action game. Understandably, Hasbro may focus on the action and adventure side of the game, while Wizards of the Coast’s new Skeleton Key leans more towards the RPG side.

Of course, it’s too early to say how Skeleton Key’s first game will resemble the fan-favourite Dragon Age episodes, but it’s clear that Wizards of the Coast took Dailey’s game-making pedigree very seriously during the hiring process. So RPG fans should be on the lookout.

Source: Twitter

Very excited to announce that we've started a new AAA game studio with the amazing folks at @Hasbro and @Wizards of the Coast!

It's early days right now at @SkeletonKeyDev but looking forward to sharing more soon. Please keep a lookout and check our open roles! https://t.co/GJUmEDMvrk

— Christian Dailey (@ChristianDailey) July 26, 2022