Drakensang Online is a browser-based, freemium online role-playing game. The gameplay is similar to the Diablo game franchise and is developed by Bigpoint Berlin. It is one of the few MMORPGs developed in the European Union. The title was in an open beta phase from August 2011 to July 2012. According to Bigpoint’s own statement, there are currently 35 million registered accounts. However, the real number can differ because multiple registrations are allowed. A retail version was released in November 2011.

Drakensang Online is the continuation of the venerable video game line Realms of Arkania, first released in 1992, set in the land of Aventuria. The video games were based on a pen and paper RPG first released in 1984 called Das Schwarze Auge, which has seen multiple editions and revisions since that time. Das Schwarze Auge (DSA) has a sizable following in Germany, outselling the most popular RPG, Dungeons & Dragons. DSA has a deep history and a unique set of mechanics. It is at once familiar and fresh to fantasy RPG fans. The third edition inspired the Realms of Arkania video games and the mechanics of that trilogy, the fourth edition was used for the Drakensang series of games: The Dark Eye and River of Time. Each of its computer game iterations had party-based adventuring and Drakensang itself was 3D and party-based, similar to Dungeon Siege but with deep, strategic combat mechanics.