The recent unveiling of a new The Wheel of Time video game in development genuinely surprised the fanbase and ignited considerable online skepticism.
First reported by the Hollywood trade publication Variety, the announcement details an upcoming "AAA open-world role-playing game" for PC and consoles, based on Robert Jordan's beloved 14-book series, The Wheel of Time. A three-year development window was also confirmed.
The project is being developed by iwot Studios' newly established Montreal-based game studio, led by former Warner Bros. Games executive Craig Alexander. Alexander previously managed development for all Turbine (now WB Games Boston) franchises, including The Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Asheron's Call. On the surface, such credentials would typically generate major fan excitement. However, it's the name iwot Studios—which originally acquired the rights to The Wheel of Time as Red Eagle Entertainment back in 2004—combined with the ambitious talk of a three-year development cycle that has caused widespread doubt.
A quick online search for iwot Studios reveals a strained relationship with the series' most dedicated fans. Numerous posts from skeptical followers criticize the company, with some labeling iwot as "IP campers." Others feel the company has "squandered" The Wheel of Time intellectual property over the years, citing multiple failed projects. Many fans reference a decade-old Reddit post that elaborates further on these grievances.
This history, paired with widespread disbelief that a brand-new game studio can seemingly appear from nowhere and deliver a AAA RPG that meets fan expectations, has cultivated a "we'll believe it when we see it" mentality across online communities.
Despite this, The Wheel of Time has recently experienced a major resurgence with its Amazon Prime Video TV series, which just concluded its third season (a fourth season has not yet been officially announced). The show has introduced The Wheel of Time to a massive new audience. While early seasons frustrated the core book fanbase with significant story deviations, the narrative successfully turned around with a far stronger and positively received third season.
With all of this context in mind, I sought to learn more directly from iwot Studios. Over a video call, I spoke with Rick Selvage, the head of iwot Studios, and Craig Alexander, the studio head for the company's gaming division. Our goal was to better understand the project's current status, its scope, what fans can realistically anticipate, and to directly address the online criticism for their response.
