The Wayward Realms — Ambitious Open-World RPG in the Spirit of The Elder Scrolls 2 Gets a New Developer Video

The developers of The Wayward Realms have released an in-depth video update, openly discussing the progress of their ambitious RPG and the challenges the team has faced over the past year. The main reason for the project’s recent slowdown was the loss of technical director Julian LeFay, the legendary industry veteran and Daggerfall co-creator, who passed away this summer.

After a major reorganization and role changes, the OnceLost Games team has reworked their development processes and re-evaluated their technical approach to Unreal Engine to achieve better performance and streamline future development.

In the video, the team showcased their current progress: a massive procedurally generated world where every house, NPC, and even shop is governed by logic and economy, rather than random parameters. An impressive population simulation system allows for the management of millions of unique citizens—each with their own professions, lifestyles, and appearances that change with the seasons and in-game events. The game promises a deep dialogue and quest system, where every interaction is built on real character data.

Combat in The Wayward Realms does away with traditional levels—your hero’s skills improve through practice, and systemic “failures” lead to unique scenarios: instead of dying, the main character might wake up as a prisoner, lose their loot, or receive a new quest. Another major feature is magic—creating your own spells is directly tied to astronomy and the phases of the world’s seven moons.

The developers openly admit that the graphics are not yet up to modern standards, and there’s still a long way to go before the game is content-complete—but the foundation for their “dream big RPG” is already in place. The team thanked players for their support and promised that early access will only happen when the product is truly worthy of being called Daggerfall’s successor. For now, development continues, with regular updates planned.

According to the official description, The Wayward Realms is set on an archipelago of over a hundred realistically scaled islands, where different kingdoms, dynasties, and factions vie for power and influence.

The game will feature a dynamic, procedurally generated world with sprawling cities, dense forests, mountains, swamps, and oceans. At its core is a system that tracks player actions and adapts events, characters, and political intrigue accordingly, ensuring a unique experience for every playthrough. Players can create their own hero without preset classes, shaping their skills, spells, potions, and enchantments as they see fit.

The world of The Wayward Realms is rich in mythology and cultural diversity—players can study ancient artifacts, explore various races and civilizations, and uncover secrets hidden beneath the familiar fantasy surface.

Previously, we reported that Ted Peterson, one of the founding fathers of The Elder Scrolls series, has criticized modern role-playing games.