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Having gone from a nerdy webseries to a media empire, it seemed like the only way TTRPG actual play show Critical Role hadn't been growing in the past couple years was in the size of its table (although if you count the EXU spinoffs, even that number was getting bigger). That changed, though, at the beginning of Campaign 4, when the number of seats at the full sessions went from eight to fourteen, and the size of the overall story split into three distinct parts. And according to series founder Matt Mercer, one of the reasons for that growth was clear:

A Critical Role future beyond its original 8 cast members.

That's what the veteran Critical Role GM told us at Emerald City Comic Con 2026, where Popverse got to sit down for an exclusive chat with Mercer, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham, all of whom have been with the show since its very first episode. It was in this chat that we got to talking about the choice to expand the tables for Campaign 4, and moreover, expand Critical Role as a brand beyond its original 8 players.

"Coming after 3 campaigns and 10 years of kind of keeping the format generally the same," Mercer explained, "With its own narrative shifts and changes, a lot of intention - and I'm going to shout out Marisha [Ray, ] as our creative director driving a lot of this as well - her and her team [are attempting] to develop something that helps it expand beyond just the eight of us. You know, as we continue to work on other projects and put our effort and energy in other spaces,  it grows harder and harder for us to be the core of this forever. And we're getting older as the years go on."

Imagine, reader, a groan from Mercer's co-stars, Riegel and Willingham, as their frequent GM makes this observation. Undaunted (mostly), Mercer carried on.

"[We're] wanting to make sure that we have the runway to pass the torch to people that we love, people that the audience falls in love with. That we can rightfully support them in their journey in the way that other people supported ours. There a lot of intentionality with campaign 4 and and even just parts of campaign 3 and the EXU to begin that process of letting Critical Role be more than just us. Instead, it's everyone we bring in part of the family and wherever they want to take it."

"Critical Role is the friends we met along the way," said Riegel, and we have to assume the friends he's talking about are good ones.

It's not just anybody you'd pass a media empire onto.

Watch Popverse's full interview with Critical Role's Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, and Sam Riegel from Emerald City Comic Con 2026 right here.

With two animated series on Prime Video, Campaign 4 in full swing, and so much more Exandrian lore to come, Critical Role is showing no signs of slowing down. That's why the adventuring party at Popverse are here to bring you everything we can from those nerdy-ass voice actors & Bo., including:

• Critical Role release schedule
• Critical Role's Campaign 4 characters ranked
• How to watch Critical Role in order
• Ways for you to relive the Critical Role panel from ECCC '26
• Taliesin Jaffe on playing Mollymauk Tealeaf for Campaign 2 vs. playing him for Prime Video
• Matt Mercer's homebrew warrior class (created originally for Vin Diesel)

...and much, much more. Roll initiative, player. Magic awaits.