Christian Dailey, the former executive producer of Dragon Age 4 who departed BioWare in February, is now the president of a brand-new gaming studio called Skeleton Key at Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of D&D and Magic: The Gathering.
Over the course of more than 30 years, Dailey has worked in the video game industry on projects ranging from Might and Magic: Dark Side of Xeen through Lords of Everquest, The Last Airbender, various Blizzard titles, and BioWare’s misguided shooter Anthem. After Mark Darrah abruptly left his position as executive producer of Dragon Age: Dreadworld in December 2020, he took over.
In a statement, Dailey stated, “I am pleased to be starting this new adventure with the brand that has produced so many of my favorite toys and games growing up. “My desire to pursue a lifelong career in videogames has been greatly influenced by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. We are eager to add more great artists who share our passion to our studio team.”
Although Dailey withheld details, it appears that the company will be working on a horror (or horror-related) project: The Skeleton Key website says its mission “is to create immersive gameplay, unique stories, and thought-provoking moments of suspense and horror that guide players to have fun while facing their fears.” The Skeleton Key logo also features a tiny skull, which is really accurate, and if you mouseover it for a short period of time, the keyhole also transforms into a skull. Very spooky!
Skeleton Key is now searching for a number of high-level positions, including principle engineer, senior producer, design director, and cinematics director. You can also follow Skeleton Key on Twitter if you’re interested in what they’ll be up to but don’t feel like pursuing a leadership career in the games business yourself.
