Dungeons & Dragons Game by Giant Skull Will Have Better Animations Than Star Wars Jedi Titles

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Publisher Wizards of the Coast is collaborating with game development studio Giant Skull, led by industry veteran Stig Asmussen (known for his work on God of War and Star Wars Jedi franchises), to create a new AAA title derived from the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. In an interview with Polygon, Asmussen discussed how the cutting-edge technology employed at Giant Skull will result in animations that surpass those seen in Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi series.

In simpler terms, Asmussen stated, “We’re skilled at close-quarter battles, and John got a glimpse of this, which fits perfectly into D&D. There might still be lingering issues from past mistakes in the Jedi games. Some of these mistakes were made due to momentum, as we don’t like to dwell on the past. We prefer to keep progressing.

It’s worth mentioning that Asmussen’s team at Respawn Entertainment utilized Unreal Engine 4 to create both Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its follow-up, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. In a recent interview, he discussed how Giant Skull is aiming to steer clear of technical debt by refraining from carrying over the mistakes made in the development of the Jedi games. By beginning with a fresh Unreal Engine setup, often referred to as “vanilla Unreal”, the studio could establish a “motion model” that results in faster and smoother gameplay compared to the two Star Wars Jedi titles.

As a passionate follower of the Giant Skull project, I can’t help but reflect on our journey when we embarked on this adventure with Unreal Engine at its vanilla stage. Unlike transferring our past work from the Jedi games to a new entity, we found ourselves with a fresh canvas, free from the errors of our previous endeavors. This clean slate allowed us to leverage all the valuable insights we’d gathered throughout the years, accelerating our progress significantly.

This clean start has led to the development of motion models that are now remarkably faster and more fluid. Gone are the frustrating bottlenecks caused by unresolved jank or confusion about how to resolve it. Instead, what you experience is a seamless, buttery-smooth gameplay experience.

So far, details about this Dungeons & Dragons game produced by Giant Skull remain scarce, but the focus on top-notch melee combat animations suggests it might be an action-packed hack-and-slash style game. When first announced, it was described as offering immersive storytelling, heroic battles, and thrilling exploration. In a recent interview, Asmussen mentioned that exploration will play a significant role in the upcoming game’s gameplay.

He emphasized that exploration plays a crucial role for us. We want to provide the player with various methods to investigate and engage with the surroundings, ultimately helping them grow their character to the point of mastering it. The entire experience should feel seamless and effortless.

As an avid gamer, I can’t contain my excitement! This upcoming game is being meticulously crafted using the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5. And get this – it’s designed to grace not just the screens of PCs, but also those of today’s most advanced gaming consoles. Can’t wait to get my hands on it!

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2025-06-17 18:41