The Hero of Deathtrap Dungeon is … a studio led by IBM Watson’s ex-chief design officer

Deathtrap Dungeon is an evocative name. It conjures mental images of crumbling halls deep under the earth, monsters with blood on their claws and saliva dripping from their fangs, and traps with sharp points covered in gore.

And decades after intrepid adventurers first ventured into these terrible tunnels in the 1980s, it’s time to dive back in. Except this time, you won’t be opening your Fighting Fantasy gamebook from Ian Livingstone and Iain McCaig — you’re going back as the Hero of Deathtrap Dungeon, a computer role-playing game that’s a sequel to the iconic Fighting Fantasy gamebook. It’s coming out next year. The studio on the project is Sentient Play and includes veterans who helped launch Dungeons & Dragons in Europe, the original Tomb Raider and Hitman games, and … IBM Watson (first time I’ve ever read that in a story about video games!).