Hello and welcome to the last August 2025 TTRPG News roundup! We’ve got a lot to go over this week, with big developments from the house of Dungeons & Dragons and Kickstarter space. 

This week: EA game developers transfer to WotC, Pathfinder ends its monthly softcover release model, Grim Hollow comes to DnD Beyond with 40 subclasses, Beadle & Grimm launch a grim 5E city setting, and a Japanese mecha/fantasy TTRPG from the 80s gets an English print. 

Former EA Devs Jump Over to WotC Video Game Team

After EA recently canceled a Black Panther video game, 15 of its developers joined up with Wizards of the Coast. The news comes from WotC president John Hight in conversation with Gamesindustry.biz. The team is just starting concept development on a new game, but nothing related to other video game projects WotC has in the pipeline. The group is led by Michael de Plater, known for his direction of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Pathfinder Stops Monthly Softcover APs In Favor Of Quarterly Hardcovers

Paizo announced a huge change to the way it will publish Pathfinder Adventure Paths going forward. Instead of putting out a 96-page softcover AP every month, Paizo will now release a 256-page hardcover every quarter. This will begin in 2026, and also includes a hardcover reprint of Season of Ghosts reworked to be compatible with Pathfinder 2E Remastered.

Paizo posits this as a good change for several reasons, one being that now GMs will have the whole adventure in hand to run right away. It also prevents game stores from being stuck with only two-thirds of a Pathfinder campaign in stock. The move will also technically reduce costs to consumers, as each hardcover is set to be priced at $79.99 whereas buying all three softcovers currently costs $89.97.

DnD Beyond Adds Grim Hollow Player's Guide With 2024 Compatibility

Another third-party favorite is available on D&D Beyond: Grim Hollow from Ghostfire Gaming. Some Grim Hollow subclasses and options were purchasable on D&D Beyond already, but this new bundle expands both player and GM content. Both are also compatible with the 2024 ruleset. Priced at $69.99, the Grim Hollow: 2024 Bundle includes both the Grim Hollow: Player's Guide and Grim Hollow: Campaign Guide. The Player’s Guide adds 40 subclass options plus many spells and feats. The Campaign Guide won’t be unlocked until September 30, but adds over 100 more magic items and a few monsters to your collection. 

Beadle & Grimm Skullduggery Kills It On Kickstarter

Beadle & Grimm, the people behind those premium boxed sets of DnD campaigns, launched their own take on a dark 5E setting Kickstarter. And it funded in 17 minutes. The Skullduggery Kickstarter introduces a shadowy city full of crypts to rob, rival guilds, and undead. Players will have 15 new subclasses to choose from based around wielding filth, using questionable alchemy, and living outside the law. There will also be an adventure that takes players from 1-9 as well as several bonus items like a GM screen and immersive handouts. 

1980s Japanese Mecha TTRPG Comes Back With English Translation

The fantasy and mecha genres collided in Wares Blade back in 1989. This Japan-only game carved out a niche by combining fantasy RPG classes with tactical mech combat. Lionwing publishing is reprinting the originales Blade core book with an English edition via a Kickstarter campaign. The book will retain the original art and game mechanics as they were in 1989. Funding has already been achieved so release is guaranteed, now funders are chipping in for stretch goals like collector’s boxes and dice bags. 

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Are you excited for a dark 5E setting from pro developers? Or does the idea of wizards in mechs appeal to you more? Both sound cool to me, but I admit I’m really digging the old-school anime goodness. Whatever you end up playing this week, may your dice be kind! 

Sergio Solórzano is the best Dungeon Master in the USA (according to a Wizards of the Coast competition, anyway). He loves minis and terrain but also goes all-in on improv!