Gameplay footage and concept art from Hidden Path’s canceled Dungeons and Dragons RPG have leaked online. Wizards of the Coast’s iconic tabletop RPG franchise has had many official video game adaptations and inspired even more, but not every one of these projects has seen the light of day. Now, Dungeons and Dragons fans can get a glimpse at what one of these scrapped titles would’ve looked like.
News that Hidden Path Entertainment was working on a Dungeons and Dragons game first emerged in 2021, thanks to a job listing from the studio. While the company didn’t give away many details at the time, it confirmed that it would be a third-person, open-world RPG. Early signs looked promising, but unfortunately, the game never came out, being canceled a couple of years later.
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A slew of concept art and leaked footage found by MP1st has offered more insight into the RPG, including a development name: Project Dante. True to the job descriptions from 2021, the eight-minute clip of Project Dante’s gameplay shows off third-party combat and exploration through an open fantasy environment, reminiscent of games like Dragon Age and The Elder Scrolls series. It also reveals some puzzle-solving and collaboration between party members. While it’s impossible to draw full conclusions from such an early build, it looks like the RPG could’ve been something solid, making Wizards of the Coast’s cancellation of five D&D video games in 2023, which included Project Dante, seem all the more unfortunate for fans.
Gameplay and Concept Art from Hidden Path’s Canceled Dungeons and Dragons Game Leaks
In addition to the test footage, the leaked files include several pieces of concept art showing both solo exploration and party interactions. The environments look expansive, although how the art would’ve translated into actual gameplay is unclear. Unfortunately, fans may never know. Project Dante isn’t the only canceled Dungeons and Dragons project in recent memory, either, as development on virtual D&D tabletop experience Project Sigil has halted, though it is being repurposed as a D&D Beyond feature instead of a standalone game.
Thankfully, there’s still plenty of Dungeons and Dragons content to look forward to. The recently formed studio Giant Skull is working on a single-player D&D action-adventure game, and Invoke Studios is developing a separate, magic-focused game for the iconic fantasy franchise. Hidden Path’s Project Dante may not have made it out of development, but fans won’t be short on D&D video games anytime soon. Many are also hoping to hear any news of a potential Baldur’s Gate 4, though it may be some time before this comes to fruition.
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson