Game publisher Wizards of the Coast has opened up a digital studio, with the aim of recreating some of its practical properties in a virtual space.

This is a fairly big deal, as Wizards of the Coast owns the world's most popular tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons, alongside what is arguably the world's most popular collectable card game, Magic: The Gathering.

The studio will be run by a group of 'all-stars" and led by Jeffrey Steefel, best known for his work on The Lord of the Rings Online, according to a blog post from Wizards of the Coast President Chris Cocks. Video game veteran David Schwartz will also come aboard to lead a new publishing team "to explore partnerships and collaborations that will bring Magic and D&D to unexpected settings, genres, and platforms."

"What would it be like to throw fireballs as a Planeswalker in an MMO, or quest for treasure with your friends in a D&D augmented-reality game?" wrote Cocks.

Wizards of the Coast has already ventured into the digital space with games like Magic Online, but this new studio seems like a significant step forward for the company to create more immersive digital versions of its properties.

Lucy O'Brien is an editor at IGN’s Sydney office. Follow her ramblings on Twitter.