The Wayward Realms is a New Grand RPG From Former Elder Scrolls Devs

Few video game franchises can boast the level of acclaim that theElder Scrollsfranchise has achieved in the decades sinceThe Elder Scrolls: Arenalaunched, though it appears that a new contender is about to step up to the plate. That game isTheWayward Realms, a new grand RPG set in an archipelago of over 100 islands. It has a surprise edge, too, as the game is coming fromformerElder Scrollsdevelopers.

Originally announcing the formation of their new studio, OnceLost Games, back in 2019, developers Julian LeFay and Ted Peterson have given a few more details about their next game and what it will entail. Long-runningElder Scrollsfans will likely be familiar with the duo’s work, as they were leads onArenaandDaggerfall,the first two games in the franchise.

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The Wayward Realms’newly launched Steam page paints an early picture of the game’s look and tone. Besides being set in an archipelago, called “The Archipelago,” with 100 “realistically scaled” islands, the Steam page is also promising massive cities with “hundreds or thousands” of NPCs, replete with plenty of other natural elements created using procedural generation.

For those unfamiliar,The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfallused procedural generationto create its map, which has helped it maintain its status as one of the largest video game maps of all time. A bigger map doesn’t necessarily mean a better game, though capturing the breadth of a world is something that all games – especially RPGs – need to do successfully. That makes LeFay and Peterson’s work on the earlyElder Scrollsgames all the more valuable.

On top of the large map, it appears thatThe Wayward Realmswill put a heavy emphasis on player choice and their ability to affect the story. The store post lists a virtual Game Master that will help shape the story based on the player’s actions, spurring other characters and factions to tailor their next moves around the player. Because of that, no two players should have the same story.

The WaywardRealmssounds like an ambitious project, and the developers' pedigree does make it all the more interesting. There’s no release date currently listed on the page, though OnceLost games did share a teaser trailer for the project. With the likes oftheFablerebootandThe Elder Scrolls 6somewhere on the horizon, there are plenty of fantasy RPGs entering the gaming arena, so it’ll be interesting to see where they all land.