Payday studio Starbreeze is making a Dungeons and Dragons live service game

Payday maker Starbreeze is developing a Dungeons and Dragons game codenamed Project Baxter, it has announced.

The company said it will “carry the signature Starbreeze game cornerstones of co-operative multiplayer, lifetime commitment through a Games as a Service-model, community engagement and a larger than life experience”.

Produced with Unreal Engine 5 and featuring cross-play support, it’s set to be published by Starbreeze in 2026 for “all major platforms”.

“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,” claimed Starbreeze CEO Tobias Sjögren.

“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.”

One of this year’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful video games, Baldur’s Gate 3, is based on the tabletop role-playing system of Dungeons & Dragons.

“Dungeons and Dragons is having an extraordinary year,” commented Eugene Evans, senior VP of digital strategy and licensing at Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro. “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.”

Further reading

4

Embracer says Payday 3 underperformed following launch issues

The game's release was marred by matchmaking problems and a delayed title update

The launch of Starbreeze’s most recent game, Payday 3, failed to meet publisher Embracer Group’s expectations.

Major server issues, which Starbreeze blamed on problems with external matchmaking software, marred the co-op game’s late September release, while fans were also left frustrated by an extended wait for the title’s first update,

Starbreeze claimed last month that Payday 3 was “finally up and running as things should be” following the release of the game’s first patch.