Lars Mikkelsen Joins Sandbox Strategy RPG Chronicles: Medieval
The casting of a prominent actor like Lars Mikkelsen signals Raw Power Games' ambition to elevate the narrative and world-building of a historically grounded sandbox strategy RPG, a genre where such high-profile voice work is uncommon.
Key Facts
- Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen, known for roles in 'The Witcher' and 'House of Cards,' will voice Johann Schuttenberg and provide in-game narration in 'Chronicles: Medieval.'
- The sandbox medieval strategy RPG is set during the Hundred Years' War and features a dynamic world where the player starts as a soldier with no status.
- The game supports large-scale battles with up to 2,000 units on screen simultaneously using Unreal Engine 5, with a morale system tracking five stages from Inspired to Broken.
- Early access on PC via Steam is planned for 2026, with a duration of about one year, and Japanese interface and subtitles are planned.
- The Holy Roman Empire is confirmed as a third playable faction alongside England and France.
Reporting from 2 sources: 4Gamer.net, Game Spark.
Raw Power Games announced during an online media event that Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen will appear in the sandbox medieval strategy RPG "Chronicles: Medieval." Mikkelsen, known for roles in "The Witcher" and "House of Cards," will portray a character named Johann Schuttenberg and provide in-game narration. The game is set during the Hundred Years' War and combines open-world sandbox action RPG elements with strategy gameplay. It features a dynamic sandbox world where the player starts as a soldier with no status, gathering companions, building fortresses, and participating in large-scale battles with up to 2000 units on screen simultaneously using Unreal Engine 5. Battles include a deployment phase and real-time combat with a morale system that tracks unit states from Inspired to Broken. The game also confirmed the Holy Roman Empire as a third playable faction alongside England and France. Early access on PC via Steam is planned for 2026, with a duration of about one year. Japanese interface and subtitles are planned.
Senior game designer Gareth Bourn, who has logged over 350 hours in the Mount & Blade series, said the biggest difference from Chronicles: Medieval is that the new game is "based on real history, the Hundred Years' War." The game draws deep inspiration from real nations and cultures, with period-authentic weapons and armor.
Development has been ongoing for about four years since Raw Power Games was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studio is placing mod support at its core, already developing tools in collaboration with experienced mod community members. At the official release, they plan to release a map generator that can generate battlefields with one click, a castle build tool, and an AI strategy editor.
The game's world operates on a concept the team calls "real causality." The world lives independently of the player's actions: if a king falls, a new power rises, and the prices of grain and fish in the market fluctuate based on relationships between factions and the status of trade caravans. The player starts as a mere soldier with no status or honor, armed only with guts and strong will.
Large-scale battles use the in-house simulation technology "Asgard Technology" based on Unreal Engine 5. The scale adjusts automatically to the player's PC specs, supporting everything from skirmishes of about 20 people to army battles that decide the fate of kingdoms. Units have a "Standing Orders" system with options like "Charge," "Hold Ground," and "Adapt." Units set to "Adapt" autonomously change formation based on the enemy's deployment via AI.
The morale system tracks five stages per unit: "Inspired," "Confident," "Concerned," "Shaken," and "Broken." Units that become "Broken" flee the battlefield and are permanently lost as deserters, even if they survive. The only way to raise morale to "Inspired" is through the player's own heroic deeds, such as dragging an enemy off a horse, landing a spectacular headshot, or performing a brutal execution.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.