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During their recent Renegade Con 2026 online livestream, publisher Renegade Game Studios dropped a massive bombshell on the community: they are officially retiring their proprietary Essence20 rule system.
In its place, Renegade will be developing brand-new second editions of their Transformers, G.I. Joe and Power Rangers tabletop RPGs built on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E rules.
The new second editions of each game will likely be coming sometime in 2027 via BackerKit campaigns and you can sign up for more info on the Renegade website. The publisher will also be releasing free online conversion guides that will allow existing players to continue to use older Essence20 game materials. Below, we break down why Renegade is making the shift and what it means for the future of their licensed TTRPGs.
What is the Essence20 system?
Essence20 is a standalone tabletop RPG engine created in-house by Renegade Game Studios. Characters are built using four core attributes: Strength, Speed, Smarts, and Social (the four “Essences” of the game). Skill checks, however, do away with adding attribute modifiers to rolls like in D&D. Instead, players roll a standard d20 alongside a specific “skill die,” which ranges from a d2 up to a d20 based on their character’s training and proficiency. The results are then added together to beat a difficulty target which is set by the GM.
The system was first released in 2021 as the mechanical backbone for Renegade’s line of licensed Hasbro roleplaying games. It originally launched alongside the Power Rangers Roleplaying Game, before quickly expanding to power the G.I. Joe and Transformers RPGs. The idea was that since the games all used the Essence20 ruleset, GMs could potentially create cross-universe campaigns featuring Autobots fighting alongside Joes and Rangers (with Renegade later releasing expansions that did just that). Renegade also further expanded the system to include the My Little Pony Roleplaying Game.
Why is Renegade moving from Essence20 to D&D 5.5E?
In the initial Renegade Con 2026 online livestream, there was no mention of why they were making the switch from Essence20 to D&D 5.5E, but a discussion that later occurred on the official Renegade Discord indicated that it was due to flagging sales of the core Essence20 products. The shift to D&D 5.5E is therefore part of a new strategy to try and grow the player base.
It’s also possible this may be part of a larger strategic shift on the part of Hasbro (who owns the license for Dungeons & Dragons, as well as Transformers, G.I. Joe and Power Rangers), with Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks recently announcing that D&D crossovers are in the works. So Renegade may be supporting this focus, creating new second editions as a test case for Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. This is purely speculation, however, and has not been confirmed by representatives from either of the two organizations.
What’s next for Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Power Rangers?
In the Renegade Con 2026 livestream, Community & Crowdfunding Manager Rina Amaranthine noted that “We’re going to be starting with the crowdfunding campaign for the G.I. Joe and Transformers second edition role-playing games first. Power Rangers will follow.”
She also noted that starter sets will be developed for each of the new D&D 5.5E second editions, saying “If you’re looking for the easiest place to start or you want to try taste of either game before diving deeper a starter set is a great option for you.” These starter sets will also likely be part of the upcoming crowdfunders.
Final thoughts
It’s the end of an era for the Essence20 system, but potentially the beginning of a new chapter for Renegade Game Studios. That being said, the Transformers, G.I. Joe and Power Rangers TTRPGs do have a small but loyal fanbase who have been using the Essence20 system for the past five years, so it remains to be seen whether or not Renegade can pull off this transition and attract a new audience without alienating their core players.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead and will update this page with new information as it’s made available. In the meantime, below is also the official Renegade Con 2026 online livestream, which was hosted on their official YouTube channel.