People News Feargus Urquhart IGDA Montreal Talk

[Infinitron]

Tags: Feargus Urquhart; Obsidian Entertainment; Pillars of Eternity

So, Chris Avellone has left Obsidian, leaving the company in what appears to be a state of turmoil. We'll learn more about that tomorrow. In the meantime, let us revisit May 26th, only two weeks past yet seemingly an eternity (heh) ago. On that date, Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart was due to give a talk at an IGDA event in Montreal, entitled "The Road to Eternity". He ended up missing his flight, but with the help of Skype, was able to give the talk anyway. The entire thing is about an hour and fifteen minutes long - 40 minutes during which Feargus shares various lessons he's learned over his career, another 20 where he shares Kickstarter experience and advice, and 15 minutes of Q&A.

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It's mostly managerial-type stuff, but there are a few interesting takeaways here for the common gamer:

• The first Pillars of Eternity expansion has run into some trouble - it's not long enough. Obsidian want it to be 10 hours long, but originally planned only 10 areas, which Feargus estimates take only a half hour each to play through. Heart of Winter syndrome?
• Obsidian currently have four projects in development.
• Pillars of Eternity raised between 5 and 5.5 million dollars from around 110,000 backers before its release, including Kickstarter and subsequent pre-orders.
• There are currently 95 developers working on Armored Warfare at Obsidian, which constitutes a majority of the company. Organizationally, Obsidian is currently divided into "Armored Warfare" and "Everything Else".

The talk also includes a plethora of anecdotes from the Interplay days, which sound like they were rather unpleasant for those in middle management. Worth a listen if you have the time, but if you don't, I commented on some of the more notable bits here.

 

[Diablo169]

95 people are working on the tank game?

 

[Kz3r0]

There are currently 95 developers working on Armored Warfare at Obsidian, which constitutes a majority of the company. Organizationally, Obsidian is currently divided into "Armored Warfare" and "Everything Else".

Baffling indeed, how they can work on any other project?

 

[Tzaero]

Hmm, four projects two of which we know, Tanks and Eternity Ex1.
What might the other two be, and did they not interest Avellone enough for him to stick around.

 

[Roguey]

Obsidian wanted an expansion and instead they made DLC.

Hmm, four projects two of which we know, Tanks and Eternity Ex1.
What might the other two be, and did they not interest Avellone enough for him to stick around.

You're forgetting Pathfinder card game. Given the number of employees, I doubt project #4 is much better.

 

[Infinitron]

Obsidian wanted an expansion and instead they made DLC.

To be fair, they're really calling it "the first half of the expansion" (Feargus uses that wording in the talk too)

 

[Kz3r0]

Obsidian wanted an expansion and instead they made DLC.

Hmm, four projects two of which we know, Tanks and Eternity Ex1.
What might the other two be, and did they not interest Avellone enough for him to stick around.

You're forgetting Pathfinder card game. Given the number of employees, I doubt project #4 is much better.

Had enough of sucking Sawyer's cock, even if for trolling purposes?
Or you can't resist anymore holding back on your Obsidian bashing urges?
Bad timing I fear, with Avellone leaving them now most Codexers won't give a shit anymore.
I know, all that trolling potential gone down the drain.

 

[Bubbles]

95 people are working on the tank game?

If it's even moderately successful by F2P standards, it will easily be Obsidian's biggest hit.

 

[Hegel]

The expansion could get the axe and nothing of value would be lost, funny

 

[Kz3r0]

The expansion could get the axe and nothing of value would be lost, funny

I wouldn't be surprised that is worked on only during coffe breacks so important it is for PanzerFuhrer Feargus,

 

[Ismaul]

So we have the Tank MMO, the PoE DLC, the Pathfinder card game, and if recent events are any indication, the cancelled Avellone project.

The decline is strong. Well, except for the PoE engine that is.

 

[Bubbles]

So we have the Tank MMO, the PoE DLC, the Pathfinder card game, and if recent events are any indication, the cancelled Avellone project.

The decline is strong. Well, except for the PoE engine that is.

Don't worry, PoE 2 is a near certainty.

 

[Ismaul]

Don't worry, PoE 2 is a near certainty.

That is exactly what I worry about.

That they'll be stuck doing MMOs and Baldur's Gate knockoffs.

 

[tuluse]

There's the other russian MMO obsidian is working on right?

 

[Duckard]

Made all the levels in Fallout without copy and paste? How the hell?

 

[Stinger]

There's the other russian MMO obsidian is working on right?

Yeah there's PoE expansion, Skyforge the MMO, Armored Warfare and presumably some other secret project.

 

[Ismaul]

There's the other russian MMO obsidian is working on right?

Maybe that just counts as outsourcing, not an internal project?

Or maybe as of that talk Avellone's project was already cancelled. Which would mean Avellone had a month to give notice and leave.

 

[Jaesun]

I still want to know if his mention of "Fantasy Mass Effect" was an actual project they pitched to Microsoft (or perhaps that was the cancelled Microsoft game)?

But they probably can't say anything. :/

 

[Apexeon]

FTP= Operation wallet raiding.

I would never work on a project like that.

M1A2 only $80 a tank for the premium credit version!!!
Or get the ooooo raaaaa pack with all the tanks for only $500.

My brother who is cashed up bought the $500 Mechwarrior Alpha test online Clan pack!!!

Oh the ****** decline.

 

[a Goat]

4 Obsidian projects:
Skyforge(translation/writing)
Armoured Warfare
PoE expansion
Pathfinder card game.

As obvious as it is - I'll say it - only AW needs more than skeleton crew.

 

[Athelas]

The part where Feargus recalls how Herve Caen humiliated him by calling him out on his lack of professional business practice brought me to tears.

4 Obsidian projects:
Skyforge(translation/writing)
Armoured Warfare
PoE expansion
Pathfinder card game.

As obvious as it is - I'll say it - only AW needs more than skeleton crew.

The fourth project is not Skyforge. It might be another MMO though.

 

[Azeot]

unless the secret project is something extremely cool, we have:

Obsidian: Doing 1 probably half-arsed DLC for PoE in Paradox style, 1 card game no one asked, 1 MMO for the moneyz.
inXile: Reworking completely W2, finishing TToN, kickstartering BT4 and talking about a future Van Buren
Larian: Reworking completely D:OS, 2 (or 3, can't remember) secret projects we know are rpgs with the same engine of divinity

Obsidian is not on the right path

 

[Rake]

It seems Obsidian didn't realy wanted to return doing old school RPGs. They used kickstarter only when push came to shove and they faced bankruptcy, but after we bailed them out, they are moving even further from cattering to us. (and even with POE grognards were never realy a part of the audience despite their money being a part of the budget)
I remember Avellone saying in interviews that he dreamed of Obsidian eventualy doing 3-4 PoE sized games at the same time, because that is what Black Isle was. And they are the only dev with the manpower for that. It seems Feargus and the rest of the co-owners disagreed with that direction, and they prefer working for the russian mob doing shovelware.
MCA propably realised that leaving Obsidian was his last chance if he wanted to make the games he realy wants again.

 

[Athelas]

It seems Obsidian didn't realy wanted to return doing old school RPGs. They used kickstarter only when push came to shove and they faced bankruptcy, but after we bailed them out, they are moving even further from cattering to us. (and even with POE grognards were never realy a part of the audience despite their money being a part of the budget)
I remember Avellone saying in interviews that he dreamed of Obsidian eventualy doing 3-4 PoE sized games at the same time, because that is what Black Isle was. And they are the only dev with the manpower for that. It seems Feargus and the rest of the co-owners disagreed with that direction, and they prefer working for the russian mob doing shovelware.
MCA propably realised that leaving Obsidian was his last chance if he wanted to make the games he realy wants again.

I very much doubt that's what happened. For starters, you're assuming everyone shares our enthusiasm for isometric RPG's, when even Harebrained Schmes is currently making an action game. No one at Obsidian, least of all Avellone, would turn down the chance to work on Fallout: New Spin-off.

 

[Rake]

I very much doubt that's what happened. For starters, you're assuming making a PoE-sized game (whatever that means) is the only possible creative outlet one could have at Obsidian. No one at Obsidian would turn down the chance to work on Fallout: New Spin-off.

First of all, no one at obsidian would turn down work, period. Second, what makes you think that Feargus would have given the Fallout spin off edition to Avellone to go wild with it? If they don't give him a kickstarter, what makes you think they would have given him a AAA game? Pitching for one isn't the same as being project lead in one.