Summary
A formerDragon Agewriter recently revealed publisher Beamdog was once working on a sequel to a cherishedDungeons and Dragonsgame from the 90s. However, the successor never got released due to one major issue. David Gaider, lead writer ofDragon Age: Origins,Dragon Age 2, andDragon Age: Inquisition, is now the co-founder and creative director of Summerfall Studios, and due to the professional’s previous stint with Beamdog, he’s now spilling the beans on theDungeons and DragonsRPG sequel that never was.
Founded by BioWare co-founder Trent Oster and former BioWare lead programmer Cameron Tofer in 2009,Beamdog was acquired by Aspyr Media, under the Embracer Group, back in 2022. It may interestD&Dfans to know the developer has published a handful ofBaldur’s Gategames over the last few decades, including the enhanced editions of both the original 1998Baldur’s Gategame and its sequel, and 2016’sSiege of Dragonspear.
Spilling the details in a Bluesky thread, Gaider confirmed Beamdog was planning to make a sequel to the 1999 titlePlanescape: Torment, but the project’s downfall was due to a lack of funding.Planescape: Tormentcarries a reputation for being one of themost complexDungeons and Dragonsgamesin history, alongsideSolasta: Crown Of The Magister,Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition(also published by Beamdog), andThe Temple Of Elemental Evil, and Beamdog previously published the enhanced edition ofPlanescape: Tormentin 2017. Gaider revealed the sequel was going to be titledPlanescape: Unraveled, which would have seen players on a quest to “solve the mystery of your own existence” by playing “one of three aspects of Ravel Puzzlewell.”
Planescape: Torment Nearly Got a Sequel From Beamdog
Coming from Gaider’sDragon Agecamp,Wizards of the Coast recently hired formerDragon Age: The VeilguarddirectorCorinne Busche for a cloak-and-dagger project at Skeleton Key studio, and theMagic: The Gatheringpublisher even had a hand in thePlanescapesequel’s development. Gaider wrote, “WOTC was so excited about it they were willing to move up their plans for third editionPlanescapeand include some of the characters and seismic events.” Regarding the sequel’s lack of funding, Gaider noted WOTC was unable to provide financial backing above giving the sequel its blessing, and publishers were hesitant to act on a successor becausePlanescapewas not a commercial success. “Or maybe they just didn’t have confidence in Beamdog or me. Whatever the problem, we couldn’t sell it,” Gaider added.
Several changes have recently been made atDungeons and Dragonsheadquarters, including the retirement of D&D’s creative director, who’s hanging up their cape after 28 years. Additionally,Dungeons and Dragons also lost its game directorafter 18 years of service, but thankfully, these departures are not expected to affect the game’s schedule.
