Satisfactory players likely noticed a major Critical Role Easter egg when finding Mercer Spheres, but that reference to Matthew Mercer goes deeper than you think.
In the world of Satisfactory, Mercer Spheres are valuable alien artifacts used to construct the Dimensional Depot Uploader and research improvements. Upon picking up their first one, players will unlock an achievement called “I’m sure these play a Critical Role.”
That achievement is an obvious reference to the D&D playshow, which features prolific voice actor Matthew Mercer as its Dungeon Master.
However, the developers at Coffee Stain Studios didn’t just use that achievement to reference the popular show and its leader – they actually named the in-game items after him.
Back in April 2019, less than a month after Satisfactory launched in early access, Mercer tweeted about the game. The actor shared that he had been playing the factory building sim with his wife and fellow Critical Role star Marisha Ray, joking it was “It was meant to be” after finding a Mercer Sphere.
Shortly after, the devs replied to his post to tell him that the name wasn’t a coincidence.
Hi Matt. Those spheres were named after you >— Satisfactory (@SatisfactoryAF) April 2, 2019
In response, Mercer said he was “blown away” by the nod and called the game a “delight.”
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The references seem to have been added by Satisfactory writer and world designer Hannah Beuger, who the game’s official X account said was “fangirling hard” after learning that Mercer had praised the game.
The Mercer Sphere’s name and the corresponding achievement aren’t the only Critical Role or Matthew Mercer-themed Easter eggs.
Satisfactory’s in-game backstory for the Mercer Sphere’s name is also a clear reference, with one Reddit user pointing out that new dialogue mentions a “Dr D.M Mercer.” Players can also receive in-game messages from someone with the email address d.m.mercer@ficsit.biz.
This isn’t the first time Critical Role has been referenced in video games. Baldur’s Gate 3 – which itself features Matthew Mercer as the companion Minsc – subtly references Vox Machina’s Pike Trickfoot and Grog Strongjaw.
Additionally, the show has received crossovers with various games, most recently collaborating with Among Us and Wayfinder to bring cosmetics based on characters from Vox Machina and the series’ other campaigns to those titles.