Critical Role, a cornerstone of the nerd community, celebrates its 10th anniversary with ambitious plans to diversify its offerings. Originating as a group of friends streaming their Dungeons & Dragons sessions on Twitch, the company has grown into a multifaceted entertainment powerhouse. In 2025, the four co-founders—Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham—are set to unveil expansions in five key areas. These include venturing into video game development, enhancing live performances, launching new tabletop games, expanding into books and television, and advancing their animation projects.
Pioneering Interactive Entertainment and Expanding Live Experiences
The team at Critical Role is diving headfirst into interactive media with the development of a new video game. This venture aims to immerse players in the richly detailed world of Exandria, allowing them to influence the narrative directly. Concurrently, the company plans to rejuvenate its live streaming content and expand its global tour presence, bringing their unique brand of entertainment to more fans worldwide.
Travis Willingham, CR’s CEO, revealed that the crew is diligently working on an undisclosed video game project, which will introduce players to the interactive side of Exandria. Fans can expect to control the story’s outcome, affecting both beloved characters and new additions to the universe. Meanwhile, the founders are preparing to return to streaming, with Sam Riegel stepping in as the new game master. The company also announced plans for live shows across multiple US cities and Australian arenas, hinting at future tours in Canada, Europe, and South America. Marisha Ray emphasized the growing popularity of D&D shows, noting that they now sell out venues previously reserved for top-tier artists like Taylor Swift.
Innovations in Gaming, Publishing, and Animation
Critical Role is set to launch Daggerheart, a new tabletop game, alongside a series of literary and visual projects. The company’s publishing arm, Darrington Press, will collaborate with major publishers to release a variety of books, while Metapigeon, their production wing, focuses on developing TV and film projects. Additionally, the company continues to produce animated series for Prime Video, further solidifying its presence in the entertainment industry.
Daggerheart, scheduled for release on May 20, represents a significant milestone for the company. Designed as a counterpart to Dungeons & Dragons, it showcases years of creative development by Matthew Mercer and Spenser Starke. Liam O’Brien expressed his vision for Darrington Press to become synonymous with high-quality games, attracting top-tier developers. On the publishing front, CR has already released a short story collection and a children’s book, with more titles in the pipeline. For animation, the cast is currently recording two seasons of Prime Video series, including the fourth season of “The Legend of Vox Machina” and the first season of “Mighty Nein.” Sam Riegel, an Emmy-winning voice director, highlighted the complexity of juggling multiple projects simultaneously. Looking ahead, the company is exploring experiential offerings, such as theme parks, though these remain in the conceptual stage.