Payday dev is making a Dungeons & Dragons co-op live game

Starbreeze Studios, the team that helped co-develop one of the most popular FPS franchises on the planet, is moving to medieval fantasy for their next title.

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Today, Starbreeze made a surprise announcement: The Payday developer is now working on a new game set in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. We really didn't see this one coming.

The D&D game is described as an action-adventure experience complete with co-op live service elements and cross-play. The title is codenamed Project Baxter and is being created in Unreal Engine 5 with a planned release on "all major platforms" by 2026. Starbreeze plans to both develop and publish the game, likely with funding provided by Hasbro.

Starbreeze CEO Tobias Sjogren had this to say about Project Baxter:

"It is hard to imagine a better pairing than Dungeons & Dragons and Starbreeze - both with their foundation in cooperative and community driven experiences, 'play it your way' and infinite replayability.

"When looking at prospective IPs for our future projects, Dungeons & Dragons was always at the top of our list and I'm incredibly happy to announce this license. I want to thank Wizards of the Coast for being such a great partner. Development of the game is in full swing, and we are excited to deliver an amazing Dungeons & Dragons action-adventure in 2026."

Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro SVP Digital Strategy and Licensing Eugene Evans said this about the partnership:

"Dungeons and Dragons is having an extraordinary year. Our gaming brands, including Dungeons & Dragons, continue to attract great partners as we execute our plan to grow our digital games portfolio through licensing and development.

"Our collaboration with Starbreeze is a prime illustration of this strategy. Given their impressive games and passion for Dungeons & Dragons, we are confident that they will create an experience that will delight fans worldwide."