Neverwinter Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary

Cryptic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment's fast-paced D&D-inspired MMO Neverwinter was released back in 2013 and has recently celebrated its 5th anniversary. And in order to commemorate this fact, the developers have put together a video where the game's lead designer Thomas Foss looks back at the game's humble beginnings and its five year journey that attracted over 18 million players along the way. Check it out:

And here's a press release with some additional details:

Greetings, Adventurers!

Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios are proud to announce Neverwinter, the free-to-play MMORPG set in the Forgotten Realms (and beyond), has officially reached its 5th Anniversary. Nearly 18 million adventurers worldwide have experienced the action-packed journey through several iconic Dungeons & Dragons settings and stories. Since launching on PC in 2013, Neverwinter has grown alongside Wizards of the Coast’s annual updates with 13 modules, including Tyranny of Dragons, Elemental Evil, Underdark, Storm King’s Thunder, Tomb of Annihilation and more.

Beyond updates, the game also joined the console community when it launched on Xbox One in March 2015 and PlayStation®4 in July 2016. Post-launch additions include two new classes (the Scourge Warlock and the Oathbound Paladin); dozens of new campaign settings, including the Sea of Moving Ice, Port Nyanzaru, and the Dread Ring; fan-favorite characters such as Minsc and Boo, Drizzt Do’Urden, Volothamp Geddarm, as well as countless hours of gameplay. With Ravenloft releasing next week, leaders from both teams took a moment to reflect on the game's journey.

“Cryptic Studios has spent the last half-decade crafting a uniquely action-packed role-playing experience that has resonated with both tabletop and video gaming fans,” said Stephen D’Angelo, CEO of Cryptic Studios. “Working with Wizards of the Coast to bring the Forgotten Realms to life has been a dream for many of us. Watching the game grow beyond what we imagined with so much support from our players has been incredible. I’d like to thank the team and our community for making Neverwinter what it is today. Here’s to the first five and many more!”

“We knew Cryptic Studios was capable of bringing Dungeons & Dragons to a new gaming audience with their experience creating unique and compelling experiences with City of Heroes, Champions Online and Star Trek Online,” said Yoon Im, Perfect World Entertainment’s Senior VP of Publishing. “Five years later, players across the globe have embraced our spin on D&D on both PC and consoles. The shared passion our community, developers and publishing team have for Neverwinter has taken us to places we never expected. Thank you.”