On Wednesday, Demeo maker Resolution Games announced a new, official Dungeons and Dragons game, a collaboration between D&D and Demeo called Battlemarked. Resolution calls Battlemarked a D&D session without a dungeon master -- the tabletop game's term for the person running a campaign and creating its story -- and says it's more about strategic battles and "social tactics" than roleplaying as a complex character.
Like in Demeo and D&D, up to four players will team up and develop battle strategies for their unique situations and classes, but what sets Battlemarked apart is how approachable Resolution wants it to be. Where a single turn for one person in D&D can take several minutes, Battlemarked adopts a format similar to more traditional RPGs with a faster pace and what D&D owner Wizards of the Coast described as "pick-up-and-play mechanics." The studio's goal is to give tabletop fans a new way to enjoy spending time together.
"With the launch of Demeo back in 2021, we began to grow an incredible relationship with the D&D player community," Tommy Palm, Resolution's founder and CEO, said in a statement. "Demeo and Demeo Battles quickly became a game night substitute for Dungeon Masters who wanted an out-of-campaign way to have fun with their groups, and for D&D players to introduce their friends and family to tabletop miniatures games."
Battlemarked is also part of Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast's plans to expand their presence in the video games space, following the overwhelming success of Larian Studios' award-winning Baldur's Gate 3.
"By leveraging the power of the Demeo system, Resolution Games is able to take a different approach to Dungeons and Dragons by putting the emphasis on fast turn-based combat and pick-up-and-play mechanics," Eugene Evans, Wizards of the Coast's SVP of Digital Strategy, said. "Battlemarked continues Hasbro's strategy to leverage our extensive catalog of world class IP to create digital games through licensing and internal studio development. By partnering with the best developers in the industry we can deliver new games and innovative experiences across all platforms for our fans to enjoy."
Battlemarked will launch with two full campaigns in different D&D settings, though Resolution didn't specify which ones. It's a cross-platform release for PC and VR devices, and Resolution said they plan to include new campaigns and other additions as DLC at a future date.