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Tags: Armored Warfare; Feargus Urquhart; Obsidian Entertainment
In an interview over at Eurogamer, Feargus Urquhart spoke about Obsidian's new game, and also about their plans for the near future. We don't care about the former, but do care very much about the latter. I quote:
I'd buy that too. Maybe it could even be a BioWare-Obsidian joint production!
In an interview over at Eurogamer, Feargus Urquhart spoke about Obsidian's new game, and also about their plans for the near future. We don't care about the former, but do care very much about the latter. I quote:
The other important thing to know about Armored Warfare is that this isn't the end of Obsidian making the type of role-playing games you've come to expect.
"It really is a shift for us," acknowledged Feargus Urquhart, "but it's not a permanent shift - that's an important thing. We still are about our core thing of character story-driven role-playing games, and that's, with Pillars of Eternity, what we're doing. We're seeing what more we can do there.
"Ultimately what we really want to do is be a studio that is making those big role-playing games. We want to make the Fallout: New Vegas's, we want to make the Skyrims, we want to make the KOTORs, and we have to get there - we have to get there in a number of different ways, and in a way that works as an independent developer."
The studio is working on something else besides all of the above as well.
"We actually have a couple of other things starting up - we're trying some slightly smaller things," remarked Urquhart.
Those aren't "firmed up" enough to talk about in detail, but when we suggested one or both of them may be Kickstarter-sized projects, like Pillars of Eternity, Urquhart answered, "Well... yeah... one could say." Mind you, he has openly talked about wanting to do this before, and said, back then, that he may reveal what the game is around April-time, which is roughly now.
That's been pushed back.
"South Park consumed more time and so, while we've been working on what that's going to be, we just don't feel like we've gotten it to where we need it to be, so we're going to push that out," he said. "My hope really is to look at an early Fall Kickstarter. We like that as well because we'll be done with Eternity."
"I think we have a pretty cool idea for what that's going to be, but we want to vet it internally a little bit more. It gives us time, and then people don't think we're just going to use the money to finish Eternity."
Is Eternity really going to be finished by "early fall"? I thought it was winter. Most people still can't believe they're going to finish it this year. Feargus gonna Feargus, I suppose. He's also very enamoured with the Star Wars franchise:"It really is a shift for us," acknowledged Feargus Urquhart, "but it's not a permanent shift - that's an important thing. We still are about our core thing of character story-driven role-playing games, and that's, with Pillars of Eternity, what we're doing. We're seeing what more we can do there.
"Ultimately what we really want to do is be a studio that is making those big role-playing games. We want to make the Fallout: New Vegas's, we want to make the Skyrims, we want to make the KOTORs, and we have to get there - we have to get there in a number of different ways, and in a way that works as an independent developer."
The studio is working on something else besides all of the above as well.
"We actually have a couple of other things starting up - we're trying some slightly smaller things," remarked Urquhart.
Those aren't "firmed up" enough to talk about in detail, but when we suggested one or both of them may be Kickstarter-sized projects, like Pillars of Eternity, Urquhart answered, "Well... yeah... one could say." Mind you, he has openly talked about wanting to do this before, and said, back then, that he may reveal what the game is around April-time, which is roughly now.
That's been pushed back.
"South Park consumed more time and so, while we've been working on what that's going to be, we just don't feel like we've gotten it to where we need it to be, so we're going to push that out," he said. "My hope really is to look at an early Fall Kickstarter. We like that as well because we'll be done with Eternity."
"I think we have a pretty cool idea for what that's going to be, but we want to vet it internally a little bit more. It gives us time, and then people don't think we're just going to use the money to finish Eternity."
What's the other smaller project? It's unclear. But it's not, it sounds like, anything Star Wars related, despite the pitch that was sent to Disney, despite Urquhart's invincible enthusiasm for the brand.
"It's in the same place," he said of the pitch. "It's the same answer: we'd love to make a Star Wars game - I love Star Wars."
But making games on that scale is "super scary" - hiring all those people, handling all that money and expectation. As an independent developer he questions taking on any project of that magnitude. But Star Wars? Star Wars he could bend the rules for.
"Star Wars is one of those games that makes me just throw the reasons, throw my right brain or left brain - I don't know which one it is - and say, 'Oh this is totally stupid to do, but, whatever!' It would be that game, and I hope some day we get to make another Star Wars game.
"I always thought - and everyone just looks at me strangely when I say this - it would be cool to do a Star Wars Pillars of Eternity-style game, where you had a little party, a droid and a... whatever. That would be super-cool. I'd buy it!
"But that's a hard [sell]... That's not SWTOR and that's not KOTOR and that's not Battlefront and that's not that. I don't know - I'm probably going to take a stab at that and see if anybody has any interest, but I don't know - we'll see."
"It's in the same place," he said of the pitch. "It's the same answer: we'd love to make a Star Wars game - I love Star Wars."
But making games on that scale is "super scary" - hiring all those people, handling all that money and expectation. As an independent developer he questions taking on any project of that magnitude. But Star Wars? Star Wars he could bend the rules for.
"Star Wars is one of those games that makes me just throw the reasons, throw my right brain or left brain - I don't know which one it is - and say, 'Oh this is totally stupid to do, but, whatever!' It would be that game, and I hope some day we get to make another Star Wars game.
"I always thought - and everyone just looks at me strangely when I say this - it would be cool to do a Star Wars Pillars of Eternity-style game, where you had a little party, a droid and a... whatever. That would be super-cool. I'd buy it!
"But that's a hard [sell]... That's not SWTOR and that's not KOTOR and that's not Battlefront and that's not that. I don't know - I'm probably going to take a stab at that and see if anybody has any interest, but I don't know - we'll see."
I'd buy that too. Maybe it could even be a BioWare-Obsidian joint production!
