Even though longtime game master Matt Mercer is leaving his Critical Role position for Campaign 4, that does not mean he is exiting the series altogether. For as long as there has been the hit fantasy role-playing show, there has been Mercer sitting at the head of the table, organizing the tabletop action.
As a part of the team's upcoming fourth Dungeons & Dragons campaign, it was revealed that Mercer would be stepping aside from his longtime post within the company, no longer leading the game for his crew of voice actors friends (which has included mega-stars like The Last of Us' Ashley Johnson, Street Fighter's Travis Willingham, and Marvel's Spider-Man's Lauray Bailey).
Critical Role Campaign 4 is set to debut sometime this October. Newcomer Brennan Lee Mulligan (best known for his work on the Dimension 20 podcast) will take over as game master after Mercer vacates the post.
Is Matt Mercer Leaving Critical Role?
Following the announcement that Brennan Lee Mulligan will serve as the new game master for Critical Role's long-awaited Campaign 4, some fans have grown worried that current game master Matt Mercer will leave the show.
The first Campaign 4 details were made public as a part of Critical Role's presence at GenCon 2025 in Indianapolis.
Part of this announcement included the news that Mercer (who had served as game master since Critical Role's inception in 2015) would be stepping back from his role for the next tabletop adventure, and comedian and fellow Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast Mulligan would be stepping in.
This does not mean Mercer will be leaving the show entirely, though. In fact, he will now be sitting on the other side of the table from where he is typically seen, playing in Campaign 4 as a player character rather than the man pulling the narrative strings from behind his dungeon master screen.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Mercer shared his excitement for changing things up in Campaign 4, writing, "Getting to meaningfully PLAY at the table as a PC alongside all my friends is something I've been wanting to do for some time:"
"Man… what a damn night. What a damn GenCon! (Mind the groggy morning after pic) I cannot express how excited I am for Campaign 4, y’all. Getting to meaningfully PLAY at the table as a PC alongside all my friends is something I’ve been wanting to do for some time, but to hand the reins to someone I so deeply love and respect as Brennan Lee Mulligan is an honor."
He acknowledged that this will take some getting used to for longtime fans of the online show, but asked that fans "trust that what [they have] been cooking for this next story with [Mulligan] and the players is something truly special:"
"I know this is a shake up for some, but if you’ve ever trusted me, trust that what we’ve been cooking for this next story with him and the players is something truly special, unique, and very befitting the vibe and scope you’ve come to enjoy with us these past 10 years. Lots of details and reveals over the weeks to come, and excited to unveil the newer faces that join the OG cast to bring this new world to life."
He even admitted his game master days are not entirely over. The acclaimed voice actor added that he is still "running games" and that his Critical Role adventures will continue through ventures like their live shows and the beloved Vox Machina Amazon Prime Video animated series:
"I’m still gonna be running games, don’t you worry! Exandria continues through our live shows, our animated series, many other stories (including your own), and whenever else the inspiration strikes to step back into my world that I’ll be building and playing in until the end of my days. We also got more Age of Umbra to come, and other fun things I’ll be running, so I ain’t hanging up my GM screen any time soon.
All in all, love you all, and so, SO excited for this next chapter. I hope you come along with us."
It is clear that for Mercer and the Critical Role team, this is the dawn of a new era for the fan-favorite YouTube series, bringing in new names like Mulligan so that Mercer can fulfill a dream of seeing the other side of the table and getting to spread his role-playing wings, unlike ever before.
And, at least according to Mercer's Instagram post, Mulligan is just the beginning for the show's fourth campaign. He hinted that even more new faces will join the OG crew for this next adventure, which will surely be an exciting prospect for fans itching for more dice-rolling fun from the team.
