Today Metapigeon, Critical Role’s development and production company, officially announced the acquisition of the narrative podcast Midst, a semi-improvised audio drama. As part of the acquisition, which reveals Critical Role’s first foray into developing new IP, Metapigeon has partnered with production studio Third Person, the podcast’s founders who also narrate and produce the series, to continue to expand the Midst brand.
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Told by three unreliable, playfully omniscient, and fully anonymous narrators, the story takes place in the space-western town of Stationary Hill, on the islet of Midst, and follows three protagonists – a crotchety outlaw, a struggling cultist, and a diabolical bastard – as their paths intersect in unexpected ways. Presented as an ongoing fiction podcast series in a turbulent present-tense stream-of-consciousness style, Midst aims to fully engage the audiences’ imaginations in an immersive and highly original setting using a unique storytelling style and distinctive audio. The narrators voice all the action, perform all the characters (sometimes interchangeably), and break the fourth wall with the listener to help contextualize or evoke the mood, scene, and setting.
“As part of our ongoing effort to expand the types of narratives we share and elevate new storytellers, we remain focused on exploring diverse IP in a multitude of mediums,” said Ben Van Der Fluit, Critical Role’s SVP of Business and Content Development. “Working with the narrators of Midst has been a dream – we’re such fans of the world they have built, and we look forward to continuing to empower their creative dreams.”
The first two seasons of the show – which will be re-released under Critical Role and Metapigeon – will feature remastered audio and a new video version of each episode. Season three (and beyond) are currently in the works. Each episode features at least one original art piece from notable artists, including Ricardo Bessa, Lenka Simeckova, Sam Bosma, Artem Chebokha, Lap Pun Cheung, Will Kirkby, and more.
“In lieu of the trumpet and explosion emojis that would be the truest expression of our feelings, we can say with full sincerity that we are over the moon to have found partners with such phenomenal passion and talent for creative multimedia storytelling,” said the podcast’s founders. “Critical Role and Metapigeon are enabling us to bring Midst to life in ways we never imagined possible, and we can’t wait to share what’s in store with fans both old and new.”
The first three episodes of the new and remastered series are set to release for free on April 11, 12, and 13 on Critical Role’s YouTube channel with unique animated artwork tied to each episode, as well as in podcast format via Spotify Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, and future episodes will release weekly on Wednesdays at 5 am Pacific. Subscribers who pay either $2.99 per month or $29.99 annually will gain access to the first five episodes on April 11, as well as future episodes two weeks in advance (available via the Midst website). Subscribers will also enjoy an ad-free experience and access to a large array of lore-expanding bonus content around each episode, such as documents, items, and artifacts from the world of the story, perfect for listeners who want to delve deeper into the Midst universe.
