Veteran game designer and writer Chris Avellone joins new studio Republic Games to work on a "dark, mature fantasy RPG"
Chris Avellone, the legendary game designer and writer who has contributed to titles such as Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, has announced that he is joining Republic Games to build a new RPG.
The details:
Republic Games, formed in 2024 by Adam Williams, the former lead writer at Detroit: Become Human studio Quantic Dream, has confirmed that Avellone has joined the developer to work on a new project “inspired by the golden age of RPGs." “Chris has written, created, and designed for some of the greatest RPGs of all time,” Williams wrote on LinkedIn. “He’s a master of interactive storytelling. On our list of people to work with, he was at the top. Chris was at the forefront of the golden age of RPGs. We are creating a dark fantasy story with immersive gameplay and a rich interactive narrative which aims to recapture that magic—and take it to the next level.”
Williams also shared some new details about the upcoming title with Eurogamer. According to the studio founder, it will center around a “totalitarian regime seeking to crush a rebellion, with competing factions and allegiances the player can join, giving them the full freedom to create the hero—or antihero—they want to be.” Players will also be treated to “a rich, interesting story,” with all the classic RPG elements such as deep character creation, romances, combat, and companions.
This is Avellone’s first major role since his controversial departure from Dying Light studio Techland in 2020. While working as the narrative director for Dying Light 2, he was accused of sexual misconduct by two women. This was later settled with a "seven-figure payment," with the two women issuing a joint statement confirming that Avellone had not sexually abused either of them and indicating that they had made the claims in order to raise awareness of misconduct in the industry.
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