Spellcasters Chronicles Boldly Aims to Blend Competition With Narrative

A new team-based action strategy game is coming from the studio that made cult hit Detroit: Become Human, pitting teams of magic users against each other in three-versus-three online battles in Spellcasters Chronicles. 

The game represents new territory for Quantic Dream, a studio known more for choice-based narrative games like Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls. Spellcasters Chronicles is a step into competitive multiplayer gaming, though narrative elements aren't going totally out the window. 

From the limited details Quantic Dream has shared, Spellcasters appears to build on the formula of multiplayer online battle arenas like League of Legends and Dota 2, where teams of players push various lanes of battle in an attempt to destroy their opponents' towers and base. Roles like tank, damage and support let players opt into the style they'd like to play. 

The reveal trailer shows players summoning creatures that march up the battlefield, with larger conflicts happening when opposing crowds reach each other. 

Rather than fighting side-by-side with your summons, you'll get to soar above them and rain down spells.

Quantic Dream

Spellcasters differs from genre staples in that players can fly around the map, instead of slowly stomping forward. The trailer shows one of the spellcasters circling the battlefield as summons clash. The game touts itself as a blend of action and strategy, which means movement mechanics might be an important skill for players to master.

Deck-building elements are the other major twist in Spellcasters, allowing players to choose the spells and summons they wield in battle. 

"With Spellcasters Chronicles, we sought to bring a new form of gaming experience blending action and strategy to life, while exploring community-driven narrative," said David Cage, founder and president of Quantic Dream, in a statement. The developer didn't specify exactly how the narrative element would work in a PVP game, but says those details will be revealed "in the coming months."

You'll get to customize which creatures you summon, including powerful kaiju-sized Titans.

Quantic Dream

We'll have to wait to see Quantic Dreams' pedigree in narrative-driven games will be folded into a competitive multiplayer game.

Narrative and lore can be compelling elements for competitive games, but equally tricky to integrate. A roster full of bright characters with interesting connections was a large part of the appeal of Activision Blizzard's game Overwatch when it launched in 2016. A fresh spin on shooters certainly helped, but the richly designed cast and (mostly backgrounded) storyline kept people around even after the novelty had washed away. 

But the game's attempts to provide dedicated story missions, originally announced as a central part of its sequel Overwatch 2, ultimately proved too ambitious, and only a single batch was released in 2023. The game has since returned its focus to player-versus-player gameplay. 

Will the battlefield itself change based on player decisions?

Quantic Dream

Other battle arena-style games like League of Legends have similarly kept their storylines in the background. Details like how characters know each other are nestled in hero descriptions, but the gameplay focuses on combat between a roster of characters, not why they're fighting in the first place.

Quantic Dream hasn't explained how it will integrate storylines in its game, other than references in the trailer to a tapestry that contains past, present and future, plus lines like, "This battle might save our world… or lead it to its destruction." 

I'd imagine Spellcasters may roll it out gradually using a seasonal system like Marvel Rivals, with the results of each season contributing toward a larger narrative and the cumulative results of players contributing to changes over the long term. I also expect Quantic Dream to focus on the core gameplay loop for a while before it starts to implement anything on the storytelling side.

Spellcasters is slated for a closed beta on PC by the end of the year.