By Jon Scarr
Wizards of the Coast opened a new studio in Montréal on October 8, but it's not the company's first game-development operation in the city. Invoke Studios is already developing Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, a third-person action-adventure planned for 2027. Skeleton Key is also expanding its Montréal team to work on its first AAA game.
We've already seen Warlock in action through its gameplay reveal, but Skeleton Key hasn't named its game yet. The newly opened Wizards of the Coast Studios Inc. has a broader role supporting Dungeons & Dragons content and digital games, although Hasbro hasn't identified which games the team will work on.
Invoke Studios Is Developing Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons
Invoke Studios has already shown Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons in action. The Montréal developer released extended gameplay footage in August, following the game's December 2025 announcement.
Kaatri is searching for someone she's lost, and her pact with Tasha grants her access to otherworldly magic. Tricia Helfer plays Kaatri, while Maggie Robertson voices Tasha, who teaches Kaatri to sense Raw Magic hidden throughout Darkon. The gameplay reveal takes us into Darkon, a dark fantasy setting within the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
Magic plays a part in far more than combat. Kaatri can use spells to open paths, reposition enemies and turn elements of the environment to her advantage. The gameplay presentation also demonstrates how weather can affect a fight. When enemies get close, she can combine spells with her skill using weapons.
The footage includes a dungeon and several monsters. It also offers a closer look at how spells can create different ways to get past obstacles rather than one fixed solution.
It's a different approach to Dungeons & Dragons from the tabletop-style combat in Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, which we reviewed earlier this year.
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is planned for PC, PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S in 2027.
Skeleton Key Is Expanding Its Montréal Team
Skeleton Key is another Wizards of the Coast developer with work happening in Montréal. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it's recruiting for a growing team in Québec to work on its first AAA game.
The advertised roles offer a glimpse of the work underway. A Senior VFX Artist position involves creating real-time effects for game environments and characters. A Principal Cinematic Animator posting discusses motion capture and interactive story sequences, and describes the team as entering pre-production.
Talent development was also a topic at Video Games on the Hill 2026, where Canadian studios met with federal representatives to discuss the future of Canada's video game industry.
There's still plenty we don't know. Skeleton Key hasn't publicly named the game or announced a release window.
Wizards of the Coast Studios Inc. Has a Broader Role
The newest addition is Wizards of the Coast Studios Inc., which officially opened its downtown Montréal office on October 8. Unlike Invoke's work on Warlock, the new team's responsibilities aren't tied to a publicly named video game.
Hasbro says the studio will create Dungeons & Dragons content and support Wizards of the Coast's wider digital games portfolio. It brings together game-development employees and other teams, while Dan Ayoub heads Wizards of the Coast's Canadian operations.
Hasbro plans to grow the new studio to approximately 200 employees by 2028. That figure applies to this office, not to every Wizards-affiliated development team in Montréal. The new operation will work alongside Invoke, although the company hasn't detailed which future games it will handle.
For now, Warlock is the clearest look at what Wizards of the Coast is making in Montréal, with gameplay already out and a 2027 release planned. Skeleton Key's AAA game is still under wraps, and the new Wizards studio hasn't identified which games it will handle. Once those details are announced, we'll have a better idea of what's coming from Wizards of the Coast's growing development teams in the city.
Jon Scarr
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