Here's your first look at Critical Role's 'Moonward' — the nerdworld crew's big expansion into the podcasting business

"Moonward" features Critical Role main cast members Liam O'Brien and Marisha Ray, on a sojourn to find what's left of Midst's destroyed moon.

• Critical Role's new podcast series "Moonward" on August 7.
• "Moonward" will see CR's Marisha Ray and Liam O'Brien, embarking on a new adventure to a wrecked moon.
• "Moonward" is part of CR's renewed push into the world of podcasting and audio dramas.

Critical Role's new expansion into the podcasting business is nearly here, accompanied by a brand-new trailer.

As Business Insider reported on July 11, CR is bringing not one but two of its cofounders to this fresh storytelling venture, "Moonward."

Creative director Marisha Ray and the CR crew's resident heartbreak prince, Liam O'Brien, are embarking on a cosmic sojourn to discover the secrets of a wrecked lunarscape. The two are playing all-new characters in this stand-alone series set in the world of "Midst," an experimental audio drama Critical Role acquired in 2023.

This summer podcast release marks the halfway mark of one of Critical Role's biggest years. The crew's working on two Amazon-backed animation series, launched new role-playing games, and started its own in-house streaming platform, Beacon.

The third season of the company's Amazon-backed animation series, "The Legend of Vox Machina," is now slated for an October 3 release. Meanwhile, CR's business expansion continues with two games: Candela Obscura," CR's gothic horror offering, and the "Daggerheart" open-beta.

In the meantime, fans get to enjoy this renewed push into the podcasting business, something the team has been working on since it started working with the creators of "Midst."

Check out the art for Vesta Sterling, Ray's new character, and Walden Orlock, who O'Brien is playing.

The new podcast expansion also features the original, previously anonymous cast of "Midst" — Xen, Sara Wile, and Matt Roen.

The first episode of "Moonward" will air on August 7 at 7 p.m. Pacific on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and Critical Role's Twitch and YouTube channels.

The following episodes will be released on Wednesdays, also at 7 p.m.

Beacon subscribers get access to the first two episodes on August 7 and will have full access to future episodes one week before the podcast, Twitch, and YouTube viewers do.