 |
| Critical Role's Matt Mercer is relinquishing control of their fourth campaign to D20's Brennan Lee Mulligan. Anna Webber/Getty Images for Prime Video |
Critical Role is shaking up one of the core elements of its blockbuster streaming empire.
When the long-awaited fourth campaign launches on October 2, it won’t be Critical Role’s cofounder and chief creative officer Matthew Mercer leading the charge behind the game master's screen. Instead, the seat will be filled by Brennan Lee Mulligan, the acclaimed storyteller behind Dimension 20.
It marks a significant turning point for the streaming company that helped popularize actual-play tabletop RPGs. Mercer has been the voice and architect behind Critical Role’s three previous long-running campaigns, all set in his original world of Exandria. But this time, the CR team is embarking on an entirely new adventure and a new setting.
Brennan Lee Mulligan Takes the Helm
“We’ve been enormous fans of Brennan’s for many years now,” said Critical Role CEO Travis Willingham in a press release. “When it came to giving both Matthew Mercer and the world of Exandria a bit of a breather, Brennan felt like the perfect storyteller to take our community somewhere entirely new.”
Mulligan, whose Dimension 20 has become a titan in the actual-play genre in its own right, expressed gratitude and excitement about the collaboration.
“What a gift, a privilege, and an honor to be invited behind the screen of Critical Role for this next epic adventure,” Mulligan said. “Every collaboration we have had together has brought nothing but sheer joy, and Campaign 4 will be no exception.”
The announcement comes after the CR and D20 teams have built years of cross-community goodwill and mutual admiration. Both have helped push tabletop role-playing into the pop culture mainstream, filling massive venues from London’s Wembley Arena to Madison Square Garden.
 |
| CR's cofounders haven't said if the team's fourth campaign will use the "D&D" system they got famous playing. Heirlume Photography |
Campaign 4 Brings a New World and Possibly a New System
Unlike the first three campaigns, the fourth campaign will not take place in Exandria, Mercer’s fantasy setting. It’s part of what Critical Role’s Marisha Ray, cofounder and creative director, calls “starting a whole new book.”
CR has not confirmed whether the new campaign will continue to use Dungeons & Dragons, the system it helped popularize for a new generation. The group has since launched and promoted its own tabletop RPG system, Daggerheart, which is currently sold out and has been featured in streamed content from the cast.
The fourth campaign will be broadcast on Critical Role’s Beacon streaming platform, as well as on YouTube and Twitch. No confirmation has been given yet on whether all CR cofounders will participate in the new campaign a possible departure from the crew’s decade-long tradition of playing together on-screen.
New Shows, Games, and Animated Series Expand CR’s Empire
In a backstage interview with Truth Sider during the group’s Melbourne live show, Ray teased a slate of “fun, out-of-the-box” programming coming to Beacon, and expressed a desire to avoid overextending the production team.
“We have a lot of ideas for shows and stuff that we want to do,” Ray said. “It’s really just making sure that not just the cast, but also the production team, isn’t overextending itself too much.”
Ray also highlighted that Daggerheart lends itself to short-run series and genre-bending formats, which CR hopes to explore in future content.
Even as Campaign 4 prepares to chart new ground, the CR team remains deeply invested in its other major ventures. The Amazon-backed animated adaptation “The Mighty Nein” is set to premiere on November 19 on Prime Video.
Meanwhile, the hit animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina”, which began as a Kickstarter project that raised over $11 million, has been renewed for a fifth and final season. Season 4 of Vox Machina is currently slated for release in 2026.
A New Era for Critical Role
The decision to bring in Mulligan marks a new chapter for Critical Role one that underscores both its creative ambition and its evolving identity as a transmedia entertainment powerhouse. While Mercer stepping back from the GM seat may surprise longtime fans, the move opens up space for storytelling experimentation and broadens the CR brand.
With a new world, a new game master, and a growing media empire that now spans video games, streaming platforms, and television, Critical Role is making it clear: the next roll is all about evolution.
