The Dungeon Crawler Carl book series by author Matt Dinniman has been blowing up lately, and it’s beginning to expand into media other than just print. Alongside confirmation that a TV show adaptation of the book series is in development, a Dungeon Crawler Carl tabletop RPG from Renegade Game Studios is also coming as well. With Dungeon Crawler Carl branching out into the TV, TTRPG, and even webcomic and graphic novel mediums, it only seems like a matter of time before the franchise gets its first video game, and there is one developer that would be perfect for the project.
The premise of Dungeon Crawler Carl involves the titular former US Coast Guard and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they are forced to survive the World Dungeon, a death game created by an invading alien race and broadcast throughout the galaxy. As Carl and Princess Donut embark on their perilous quest through the World Dungeon, they and the other NPCs in the dungeon will adopt features of traditional RPGs, such as classes and character races, and do battle against hostile mobs to earn loot and level up. The dark humor, corporate satire, and LitRPG elements of Dungeon Crawler Carl might be tough for a game developer to balance, but Obsidian Entertainment has the pedigree to make these pieces click.
What is Dungeon Crawler Carl, the LitRPG Taking the Internet by Storm?
The name “Dungeon Crawler Carl” is being echoed around the internet, and here’s everything you need to know about the ongoing litRPG series.
Obsidian Entertainment Could Make a Fantastic Dungeon Crawler Carl Game
Obsidian Entertainment’s Past Games
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords — 2004
- Neverwinter Nights 2 — 2006
- Alpha Protocol — 2010
- Fallout: New Vegas — 2010
- Dungeon Siege 3 — 2011
- South Park: The Stick of Truth — 2014
- Pillars of Eternity — 2015
- Skyforge — 2015
- Armored Warfare — 2015
- Pathfinder Adventures — 2016
- Tyranny — 2016
- Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire — 2018
- The Outer Worlds — 2019
- Grounded — 2022
- Pentiment — 2022
- Avowed — 2025
- The Outer Worlds 2 — 2025
- Grounded 2 —TBA (Early Access released in 2025)
Obsidian is one of the most beloved developers among RPG fans, known for creating classics like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and Neverwinter Nights 2. More recently, Obsidian has developed its own original fantasy RPG series with Pillars of Eternity and its sequel, creating a world in which 2025’s first-person RPG, Avowed, is also set. Moreover, Obsidian has experience developing sci-fi RPGs as well, with The Outer Worlds series delving into the intergalactic side of the first-person role-playing spectrum. Combined with Obsidian’s reputation for quality narrative writing and biting humor, a Dungeon Crawler Carl game from the developer seems like a no-brainer.
The Outer Worlds Series Shows Obsidian Has the Chops for Intergalactic Humor and Corporate Satire
One side of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books is their dystopian sci-fi premise, in which the aliens of the Borant Corporation broadcast the death game of Earth’s surviving humans in the World Dungeon across the galaxy. This premise has a lot in common with the space corporatism that underpins the stories of The Outer Worlds games. In the universe of The Outer Worlds, humanity has spread across the stars, bringing with it megacorporations like Auntie Cleo’s and Spacer’s Choice, set on extracting profits from as many galaxies as possible.
Throughout both The Outer Worlds and The Outer Worlds 2, there is a sense of dark, tongue-in-cheek humor regarding the dystopian space capitalism brought by these companies. Obsidian writes employees of Auntie’s Choice, the hostile merger between Auntie Cleo’s and Spacer’s Choice in The Outer Worlds 2, as essentially indentured servants, expendable workers that have been so heavily propagandized into believing the mythos surrounding Auntie Cleo and the supposed freedom the corporation offers its most dedicated. This type of satire shows that Obsidian has the writing prowess to bring Dungeon Crawler Carl‘s unique blend of dark comedy and dystopian setting to life in video game form.
Pillars of Eternity Proves Obsidian Can Handle Dungeon Crawler Carl’s LitRPG Elements
The other side of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series is its LitRPG elements and in-universe game mechanics that lay the foundation for what a video game could play like. Dungeon Crawler Carl takes heavy inspiration from classic TTRPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, giving its characters access to different classes, weapons, and magic as they progress through the World Dungeon, defeating enemies, and leveling up. Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity is the developer’s take on the old-school CRPG genre that has its roots in TTRPGs, and the RPG mechanics of this series would fit naturally within Dungeon Crawler Carl‘s world.
For example, Pillars of Eternity features 11 playable classes and 6 playable races for players to choose from when creating their character. Among these classes and races are party members that players can recruit as they progress through the game, and despite being a first-person RPG, the world of Avowed features a similar system for companions and character creation. Pillars of Eternity and Avowed both adhere to a common set of rules surrounding magic, combat, and level progression that fits the mold of Dungeon Crawler Carl‘s TTRPG inspirations.
Obsidian is No Stranger to Developing Licensed Video Games
While The Outer Worlds and Pillars of Eternity are Obsidian’s original game creations, the studio has developed its fair share of licensed games as well, so it has experience adapting pre-existing worlds to the video game medium. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2 is not only an adaptation of the Star Wars universe, but also a sequel to a game originally developed by BioWare, an entirely different studio.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
An even better example of a similar licensed IP similar to Dungeon Crawler Carl that Obsidian successfully translated into an acclaimed RPG is South Park: The Stick of Truth. Obsidian’s take on the popular cartoon kept the look and feel of the franchise, including its dark humor and contemporary satire, and was filled with RPG mechanics to create a game that appealed to both South Park and RPG fans alike. If Obsidian were to tackle the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, the result would likely look a lot like South Park: The Stick of Truth‘s translation of the show into video game format.
