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Latest Wyrdsong News

23rd August 2022:

• Wyrdsong and Developer Studio, Something Wicked Games announced at Gamescom 2022. Read all about it here!
• Announcement Trailer unveiled at Gamescom 2022

What is Wyrdsong?

Wyrdsong (pronounced weird-song) is an upcoming RPG title and debut release from Something Wicked Games, a studio founded by leading developers from major companies like Bethesda Games, Obsidian Entretainment and BioWare.

Wyrdsong is an open-world, preternatural historical fantasy RPG set in Portugal during the Middle Ages. The game is set to explore ideas like the absence of reliable narrators and the alternative views when reflecting on any given time period. For this, a special aim is put on the player's ability to experience the nature of their reality. According to the studio's CEO, Jeff Gardiner, "players will set their course as they dictate", by traversing and shaping the world around them, as well as maybe other worlds.

The game is still in a very early stage of development, as the studio continues to settle and host the talents they expect will contribute with ideas and suggestions. In fact, this philosophy is what lies behind the Wyrdsong announcement at Gamescom 2022. Something Wicked Games intends to put a stake in the ground in terms of the general tone and type of game they are aiming for, and purposely leaving as much room as possible so interested developers can help shape the game through ideas they consider interesting and compelling to explore.

Wyrdsong Announcement Trailer

Wyrdsong Release Date

As of October 2022, Wyrdsong doesn't have a confirmed release date. The RPG title is still in the very-early development stages, having been in the works for only a few months. What's more, Something Wicked Games is currently at 20% the desired personnel count for the project, although recently has received substancial funding from the internet content giant, Netease.

Jeff Gardiner, the studio's CEO,  aims for a more concrete reveal in 2023: “(…) Hopefully, we will reveal more in the coming year, (…) at least some teases of actual gameplay”. For the time being, he is not going any further on time frames or target dates: ‘‘We're still a long way out from shipping the game so I don’t want to set any deadlines or expectations presently’’.

What platforms will Wyrdsong be on?

Wyrdsong has not been officially announced for any particular platform. However, in a recent interview, Jeff Gardiner expressed Something Wicked Games is aiming for a release on all platforms, but understands it's too early for such compromise, as the studio is only a few months old.

Will Wyrdsong have Multiplayer?

No multiplayer has been announced as for now. It is currently unknown if any online modes such as PvP or PvE are being developed for Wyrdsong.

The Developers' vision and philosophy

The vision of the studio's CEO is to host multiple experienced developers who want to actively contribute in shaping Wyrdsong. However, not by having too much of the game's characteristics predefined, that is, leaving enough space for incoming developers to explore the ideas of what they think the game should and could be about. Also, a special focus is put on what the community has to offer. In Gardiner's own words: “We plan on engaging the community really soon, and getting their opinions and ideas”.

In that regard, as of the Gamescom 2022 reveal there isn't a particular storyline or any set-in-stone features but a few, loose ideas that constitute a general frame. More specifically, Something Wicked aims to incorporate into Wyrdsong the essence of the studios where they were formed in. “This is a coming together of two great RPG houses” says Gardiner when referring to the combination of talents from Bethesda Games and Obsidian Entretainment. “You will find choice and consequence, you know, but we'll (also) bring in the Obsidian-like shades of gray and in-depth dialogue trees”.

As for the setting and tone of the game, we know it was inspired by an alternative history book on the origins of the Knights Templar called ‘‘First Templar Nation’’ by Freddy Silva, as well as the medieval-esque atmosphere in real locations within Portugal, like Sintra and Tomar.

The Inspiration behind Wyrdsong

The idea of the game came to Something Wicked Games CEO Jeff Gardner as a result of the synchronicity between a trip to Portugal and his interest in alternative views on history. ‘‘So after I parted Bethesda about a year ago, I just took some time to reflect. And I was reading a book called First Templar Nation, which is an alternative history book about the origin of the Knights Templar.(...) I like to read all sorts of different things from different points of view’’.

This evoked a creative inspiration within Jeff, as the idea of exploring the different versions of a mythological narrative in Middle Ages Portugal started to grow on him. ‘‘I had visited portugal right before COVID with my wife, and we had happened to visit some of the historical locations featured heavily in this book. Tomar Castle in particular, and Sintra also. And this idea was coming together of what the Templars were about, in a mythological sense. They had this thing called the ‘‘Ritual of Rebirth’’ and you're just like - what can we explore in this space that would also make a compelling, awesome  and ultimately, amazingly entertaining RPG?’’

The idea behind Wyrdsong is not only for players to explore that time period's reality in a very fantastical way, but also to explore the nature of their reality as they choose their path through the game's main and side quests. ‘‘We really wanted this game to be about the idea that there's no such thing as a reliable narrator. Your brain is not a passive receptor of information. We're going to plumb the depths of the player's subconscious and how that affects the waking world’’

The Studio's Scope

Currently, the developing studio is only at 20% of their targeted staff. The company's CEO commented: ‘‘Since we started just a few months ago, Something Wicked Games has over 15 people working with us. Our goal is to reach about 70-ish for the game we’re creating. Many folks on the team are veterans of Bethesda and Obsidian, not just Charles (Staples) and me’’. This is about the same size of the Fallout 3's development team and under 30 people short of that of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Gardiner claims to be convinced they can come up with a satisfactory game.

The Studio recently received U$D 13.2 million in funding from the internet giant, Netease ‘‘with no real milestones or timelines associated with that’’. Gardiner claims they understand that a creative process is something that should be managed internally: ‘‘We're very big on setting our own goals and milestones; that worked very well for us at Bethesda and we plan on continuing that with Something Wicked Games’’.

Publishing and post-launch content

Despite funding provided by Netease right from the begining, publishing rights are still unkown: ‘‘NetEase is an amazing partner, but there have been no discussions about publishing the title with them’’ - Jeff Gardiner, CEO of Something Wicked Games.

Regarding DLC and Expansion plans, the developers look forward to put out a game that's very extensible and can be supported by adding more and more content as players come in and enjoy it: ‘‘I am not naive to the fact that this game has to turn a profit at some point and be successful. We have some early ideas of how we want to go about long-term supporting this game and the development staff, but it's probably too early to paint particular details there, especially because sometimes those get weaponized, frankly.’’

Their priority is to put out a compelling game first, and be able to monetize from there. Jeff says about this: ‘‘The biggest multiplier on any monetization scheme is the number of users, so that's my goal’’.

Lore, Medieval Portugal & Templar Mythology

As of Gamescom’s 2022 Opening Night Live, the event at which both Wyrdsong and the Developer Studio -Something Wicked Games- were revealed, there isn't a particular, defined storyline. Jeff Gardiner, CEO of Something Wicked Games, commented the following on this: ‘‘So we really haven't defined the story yet, or what the player is going to be [...] (but) again, (It'll be) a very fantastical version of them Knights Templar. In Portugal particularly’’.

The intended tone, according to the studio, is that of a medieval, arcane underworld plunged in mythology and fantasy. ‘‘Wyrdsong is a a preternatural or occult historical fantasy game set in Middle Ages Portugal, where the player not only will be able to explore the reality of that time period in a very fantastical way, but also to explore the nature of their reality. We really wanted this game to be about the idea that there's no such thing as a reliable narrator. Your brain is not a passive receptor of information. We're going to plumb the depths of the player's subconscious and how that affects the waking world’’.

Make your way as you mark the world

A complex, surrounding enviroment where players are driven to interact with different types of characters is to be expected. The influence of the player's actions within this -and also maybe other- world(s) has been confirmed, as well as experiencing the game from the point of view of any gender or race of your choice. ‘‘You're definitely going to be able to play any race or gender you want, and you're going to be able to set your course as you dictate. Play who you want to play’’.

The developers want this atmosphere to be as organic as possible, so most of the specifics in regard to the setting and theme are yet to be explored. ‘‘I sort of want to set like high-level goals’’ Gardiner says ‘‘Like what the gist of things are going to be’’. In addition, we can assume the vast amount of stories told by the surrounding enviroment are to be experienced in the typical main/side quests method: ‘‘RPGs (have) so many stories being told. There's the main story, and all these side stories, and I want people to come in and really dictate what they find interesting and compelling. Explore different versions of this narrative in this world and see sort of what what makes a compelling game’’.

Play who you want to play

Wyrdsong's brief announcement during Gamescom 2022 was in fact more of a presentation letter from the newly formed studio than anything else. The Official Announcement Trailer is solely composed of concept art visuals, and there is no proper gameplay footage nor cinematics to get an official glimpse of concrete, in-game features. However, classic RPG mechanics like the player's ability to choose their character's defining atributes -such as Race and Gender- are confirmed by the studio's CEO: ‘‘You're definitely going to be able to play any race or gender you want, and set your course as you dictate. Play who you want to play’’.
In the realm of speculation, though, this surely means we'll see classic character's traits like Classes and Skills. By looking at the titles from the founding developers -such as the Fallout franchise, The Elder Scrolls or The Outer Worlds- we can expect a wide array of Medieval Weapons, Shields and Armor equippable by players in combat. Also, the emphasis put on the fantastical aspect of the game and the consequences of the player's actions most likely means Wyrdsong could feature some sort of Magic use, as well as a Reputation System, and maybe even Companion NPCs.

Single-player Monumental Events

In addition, players engaged in Wyrdsong will also be able to experience the game's narrative by exploring different versions of the storyline. On this, Jeff Gardiner says that just like most RPGs, the game's plot will be told not only by the main story, but through the many side stories as well. The consecuences of the player's actions will affect their surroundings through systems like in-depth dialogue trees: ‘‘You will see [...] things like choice and consequence, but we'll bring in the Obsidian-like shades of gray in these in-depth dialogue trees. And then we're going to bring in these big monumental elements that you can only do in single-player games where you're really affecting the world around you - and maybe other worlds as well’’
It is currently unknown if any Multiplayer modes such as PvP or PvE are being developed for Wyrdsong, but the focus on having a strong, collaborative community is something Jeff Gardiner has already stated: ‘‘If anything, I know games are collaborative experience and not only do you want to bring in people that you've been able to collaborate with in amazing unique ways, but you want to involve fans as well to get their ideas and opinions. A lot of fans of RPGs have a lot of opinions - which is awesome’’.

The Role-Playing Aspects of the Game

The Studio head claims to have been encouraged by the huge success of From Software's RPG title Elden Ring, released in February 2022. More specifically, by how the players were not hand-held through the game, and how this made them feel when making progress. Compared with the titles previously released by the studios they used to work at, its no surprise the game will be closer to Skyrim in theme and settings, as it won't feature guns. But when talking about narrative and the player's impact on the world, Gardiner claims it will be much closer to The Outer Worlds and Fallout. It's worth mentioning, however, that he also considers the team's experience allows for them to do things in new ways: ‘‘We’re not expecting to recreate a set of game mechanics or design that’s been done before. We’re blessed to have so many folks on the team that has worked on so many amazing RPGs, so there will be a great blend of the best of all of them and some new ideas too’’.

In a recent interview, the CEO and founder of the studio also expressed how they want the game's world to be perceived: ‘‘We’re aiming for a large open-world game with tons of quests, exploration, deep character systems, and crafting elements’’. However, he also stresses the importance of substance within the game's environment, and how they dont want to generate massive amounts of dull content: ‘‘We also want to be mindful that quests and exploration has to have meaning or purpose behind it, we don’t want a lot of content just for the sake of having a lot of content. As we build, we’ll track our internal metrics and scope everything to fit into our budgets’’.

Something Wicked Developer's Update

Something Wicked's Team was incredibly preoccupied with developing their recently announced title, Wyrdsong. Announced back in August 2022, the team had incredibly expanded over the months after the reveal. According to the Developers, many already anticipate Wyrsong due to its incredible trailer. Not only that, but the team also expanded with talented core team members with over 10 years of experience in developing AAA titles such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Ark, Cyberpunk 2077, God of War, Uncharted 4, Apex Legends, Dragon Age, Dark Age of Camelot, Everquest, Pillars of Eternity, Neverwinter Nights, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and Elders Scrolls: Skyrim. Imagine the results that they could provide with these experts. Although they did not share any specifics like in-game names and terminologies, they happily could share the features they focused on which were the following. Character, Controls, and Camera.

According to the team, they already made a prototype where they experiment and develop combat, character movement, and other in-game elements. Finally, Something Wicked released new concept art that will give us an idea of what Wyrdsong will be presented. It is worth adding that Something Wicked was inspired by Elden Ring's successes and theme thus, we could expect Wyrdsong to be a third-person action RPG title but this is just a speculation at this point. Lastly the maps and regions. Something Wicked was just impressed with Elden Ring's overall design, they clearly stated how Elden Ring handled the player's exploration in its world where no markers or guides. Giving the overall exploration an organic feeling. This is a good example according to the devs and they plan to incorporate it in Wyrdsong.

Although it is too early to determine what would be the features that will be presented in Wyrdsong, such as equipment, character progression, combat, and all, Jeff Gardiner mentioned that they are planning to include magic in this game. Due to the origins and local myths of Portugal, they plan to follow and explore the idea. Townsfolk and Templars alike also worshipped the Deity Baphomet and other deities, they aim to present it Wyrdsong as well. Imagine how these deities affect every character's progression and the possible depth that it can provide.

One thing worth mentioning is that Jeff Gardiner and his team planned to have at least three factions where you can incorporate your character. One faction is already revealed and the other two remain in secret. We all know that the overall narrative will be derived from a fictional setting of Portugal, further information was revealed from Jeff that the players will be able multiracial cast and of different races. Lastly, the team is doing a deep dive into the history of Portugal with a team of researchers and consultants. Even Freddie Silva, the author of the book " The First Templar Nation ", is on board to enlighten the team about this subject. Ultimately, the team aims to study a deep narrative of Portugal's history. Exploring its rich local myths and traditions. A lot of this may possibly change as time goes by thus, only time will tell what would be Wyrdsong will bring to the table.

The Developer's Vision and Goals

Not only they started the development of Wyrdsong, the team of Something Wicked explored and visited the countryside of Portuguese as mentioned above. Their main destination is the Castle of Tomar. The team explored the nook and cranny of the said castle, from the deepest dungeons to long military structures and spaces, just to accumulate knowledge of how Wyrdsong should be presented to its audiences. This will vastly help them by making their level designs accurate and well-cascaded. It is worth noting that the team focuses on the Knight Templar's history and background and finally adds their own twist to it. According to the developers, the Knight Templars had a significant foundation in Portugal they decided to focus on this area, not just on Jerusalem. For this reason, we can expect wondrous vast lands and familiar beautiful landscapes in Portugal that players can explore. Upon exploring these immense military structures, the team also planned to focus on how the Knight Templars influenced its locals. From religious rites, ways of living, political agendas, and more. Imagine the excitement of how all of these will be explored in Wyrdsong. 

Wyrdsong uses Unreal Engine 5

‘‘Yes, we’re using Unreal Engine 5. It was the engine most of our engineers and content creators were the most excited to use’’ says Something Wicked Games CEO, Jeff Gardiner. According to him, aspects like ease of use at development, feature set, and futureproofing are the main reasons they chose to work with Epic and use their engine.

Wyrdsong System Requirements