Carrie Patel has left Obsidian

[Elttharion]

Night School put up a job listing for a game director 2 months ago https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7307830962854248448/

We’re hiring! We are adding a few new folks to help us make world class narrative games that leave a meaningful impact on players. Openings:
Game Director
️ Sr. Writer
Lead Artist
Lead Game Designer (opening soon)
️ Sr. Game Designer (opening soon)

Checked out a call for a game director job that's in New York instead of LA

The range for this role is $220,000 - $440,000

That minimum is more than what Sawyer, a 20+ year veteran, makes.

As Avellone put it way back when

EDIT: And this isn't a secret, but the payscale at Obsidian is definitely on the low end of the industry as well - the tradeoff is you get to work on RPGs, though (usually).

- Also, I've mentioned this before, but the Obsidian payscale is low and always has been (they don't often have a lot of money in the bank, especially around review time - or it's all been spent on something else). When you leave, you suddenly realize there's more value in what you do - I didn't quite realize how much until I left, but working for companies that aren't struggling is a much different beast. (As an example, Feargus's contracting offers were often half of what they are in the rest of the game development world, so that was an eye-opener.)

Unfortunately, that Blizzard advancement quote is true of a number of companies, and it's also true of salaries (it's an unfortunate fact that, in some companies, if an employee leaves for a higher-paying similar position at another company, then return to the same company, they'll often be hired back on at a payscale that would never be what they got had they remained at the company - this happened at Obsidian).

She gets to be paid more to work on games that are far less demanding to make than RPGs. It's an upgrade in every way.

It's an upgrade in every way.

Roguey the netflix gaming division has been hemorrhaging devs and execs for years. They have laid off people, closed studios, cancelled games, fired their VP, fired the director from their biggest project, shoved out of the door the entire team for their AAA project, etc. Patel might get a big salary bump but Netflix is a shitshow, even compared to the clusterfuck called Obsidian. They hired her because she managed to 'salvage' Avowed, will Netflix have the same patience MSFT had with Obsidian? We will need to check back in a couple of years.

 

[Infinitron]

It's true that these tech/media companies that try to branch out into gaming don't have a good track record. They spend too much money too quickly, fail to produce the mega-hit the suits were expecting, then everybody gets fired. See also Amazon.

 

[Orange Clock]

Fuck obsidian cucks: Feargus, Parker, Sawyer, frankly all of them (except grounded team and maybe Boyarsky&co, depends how TOW2’d turn out) doing nothing at all, but actively destroying the game - Avowed; it’s gonna be our SKYRIM, NO! it’s gonna be our SKYRIM with co-op — wait, we actually have to do something? Well, gotta go, good luck Josh — sorry, I’m to depressed after my pirate game bombed(well, it’s actually didn’t, I even bought a watch), but I’m too busy riding bicycocks.
Poor woman was the only one with balls in that company. Well, good riddance luck Carrie!

 

[Roguey]

Roguey the netflix gaming division has been hemorrhaging devs and execs for years. They have laid off people, closed studios, cancelled games, fired their VP, fired the director from their biggest project, shoved out of the door the entire team for their AAA project, etc. Patel might get a big salary bump but Netflix is a shitshow, even compared to the clusterfuck called Obsidian. They hired her because she managed to 'salvage' Avowed, will Netflix have the same patience MSFT had with Obsidian? We will need to check back in a couple of years.

She can always go back to Obsidian at a higher salary than what she had.

 

[Elttharion]

Roguey the netflix gaming division has been hemorrhaging devs and execs for years. They have laid off people, closed studios, cancelled games, fired their VP, fired the director from their biggest project, shoved out of the door the entire team for their AAA project, etc. Patel might get a big salary bump but Netflix is a shitshow, even compared to the clusterfuck called Obsidian. They hired her because she managed to 'salvage' Avowed, will Netflix have the same patience MSFT had with Obsidian? We will need to check back in a couple of years.

She can always go back to Obsidian at a higher salary than what she had.

>Works a couple of years on an unannounced game that will be eventually cancelled
>Makes a cool +1 million bucks
>Goes back to Obsidian with a higher position

Not a bad gig

 

[normie]

the prestige play of advertising on Times Square paid off, the boss bitches at Netflix recognised her as a real Carrie Bradshaw NY prestige bitch fit to be initiated into their henhouse, and she sucks curry dick too! her work experience has made her outspoken about the need for enforcing corporate mediocrity so the incompetents wouldn't feel under assault by the competent and the driven - the resume writes itself

 

[Taxnomore]

That means there's a now job opening in Obisidian and lots of you guys can direct the ultimate RPG as well as work next door to Josh, your man crush !

 

[luj1]

Guys, going from Obsidian to Netflix is a promotion. She was rewarded.

Leaving the MSFT ecosystem filled with AAA games is a demotion, especially if you're going to Netflix who makes what looks like to be phone games. Compensation could be higher but no one is going to look at her time there and be impressed. But hey, maybe she won't have to worry about any mavericks and martyrs.

Well Obsidian has deep roots in game development and fanbase. Meanwhile Netflix Games is still unproven, with uncertain direction and limited credibility in the core gaming space. Tbh I never heard of them. Seems like a perfect place to hide your incompetence tho.

 

[Tyranicon]

Do we still think competence has anything to do with anything in modern media?

Nobody in the industry cares, certainly not those who hire director+ positions. This is all public knowledge.

They're not "failing upwards." They made the right connections, which is all the really matters.

 

[luj1]

Roguey running cover for some whore that did nothing but contribute garbage to Obsidian as if his life depends on it

Roguey is always doing that, nothing new... Hating chads like MCA and running cover for incompetent people such as Patel and Sawyer, probably because she is incompetent herself. Envy is a curse.

 

[Maxie]

of course a Patel gets a better job in JD Vance's Indiamerica

 

[SayMyName]

https://gamerant.com/avowed-director-carrie-patel-obsidian-departure/

Carrie Patel is leaving Obsidian for... Netflix Game Studios

Carrie Patel, the director of Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed, has left the Xbox studio only a few months after the game's release. Set in Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity universe, Avowed was the studio's first crack at a major AAA fantasy RPG. While it turned out to be much smaller and more focused in scope and scale than something like Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Avowed still impressed gamers with its strong writing, buttery-smooth first-person combat, and beautiful environments, earning the game an 81 on Metacritic.

Over her impressive 12-year career at celebrated RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment, Carrie Patel has mainly worked on Pillars of Eternity, The Outer Worlds, and most recently Avowed. Patel got her start at the studio as a narrative designer on Pillars of Eternity and its two White March DLCs before continuing her narrative work on the game's sequel, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. After working on the base game, it was The Outer Worlds' Peril on Gorgon DLC where Patel got her first opportunity as a game director, leading to her director role on Avowed.

It seems that after having shipped her first full game as a director at Obsidian, Carrie Patel has left the studio. As can be seen on her LinkedIn page, her current role is Game Director at Night School Studio, one of the indie teams Netflix picked up to help support its Netflix Gaming effort. Before its acquisition by Netflix, Night School had mostly been known for its 2016 indie darling Oxenfree, and has since gone on to release lesser-known games like Afterparty and Next Stop Nowhere.

The Outer Worlds 2 has a chance to be great now

 

[Takamori]

Took them long enough, now they better do something at least 20% better or shit is really ugly at Obsidian if Carrie was their best.

 

[actor]

https://gamerant.com/avowed-director-carrie-patel-obsidian-departure/

Carrie Patel is leaving Obsidian for... Netflix Game Studios

Carrie Patel, the director of Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed, has left the Xbox studio only a few months after the game's release. Set in Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity universe, Avowed was the studio's first crack at a major AAA fantasy RPG. While it turned out to be much smaller and more focused in scope and scale than something like Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Avowed still impressed gamers with its strong writing, buttery-smooth first-person combat, and beautiful environments, earning the game an 81 on Metacritic.

Over her impressive 12-year career at celebrated RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment, Carrie Patel has mainly worked on Pillars of Eternity, The Outer Worlds, and most recently Avowed. Patel got her start at the studio as a narrative designer on Pillars of Eternity and its two White March DLCs before continuing her narrative work on the game's sequel, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. After working on the base game, it was The Outer Worlds' Peril on Gorgon DLC where Patel got her first opportunity as a game director, leading to her director role on Avowed.

It seems that after having shipped her first full game as a director at Obsidian, Carrie Patel has left the studio. As can be seen on her LinkedIn page, her current role is Game Director at Night School Studio, one of the indie teams Netflix picked up to help support its Netflix Gaming effort. Before its acquisition by Netflix, Night School had mostly been known for its 2016 indie darling Oxenfree, and has since gone on to release lesser-known games like Afterparty and Next Stop Nowhere.

The Outer Worlds 2 has a chance to be great now

that ip is dogshit, keep dreaming

 

[Quillon]

She can always go back to Obsidian at a higher salary than what she had.

as kate D did. obsidian is their bitch

 

[Butter]

All of Obsidian's best games had male directors. Lesson there, if history's to be believed.

 

[Tatochop]

Before its acquisition by Netflix, Night School had mostly been known for its 2016 indie darling Oxenfree, and has since gone on to release lesser-known games like Afterparty and Next Stop Nowhere.

An opportunity to work with the people who developed these masterpieces? Sure smells like an upgrade to me.

 

[damager]

Before its acquisition by Netflix, Night School had mostly been known for its 2016 indie darling Oxenfree, and has since gone on to release lesser-known games like Afterparty and Next Stop Nowhere.

An opportunity to work with the people who developed these masterpieces? Sure smells like an upgrade to me.

lmao this makes rogueys simping even more comical

This is like the shit on the school computer that nobody wanted to touch back in the day

 

[BlackheartXIII]

Meanwhile back in January 2025,
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/busin...aff-at-oxenfree-developer-night-school-studio

Netflix has laid off staff at Oxenfree developer Night School Studio​

The U.S. studio launched Oxenfree II in 2023 under the Netflix banner—but the streamer's long-term plans for its video game business remain unclear.

According to current and former Night School Studio employees, who asked to remain anonymous, the layoffs came as a surprise when they were announced in January and shocked team members.

Prior to those cuts, Netflix hired former Epic Games EVP of development, Alain Tascan, to lead its video game division. At the time, Tascan said the company was "uniquely positioned to redefine the future of gaming"—but the layoffs that followed indicate the company is unsure what that future actually looks like.

 

[ChimpMan]

Netflix makes games?

They're venturing into games. So far it's been publishing and porting, but they're making some too - the same way they make films and shows.

 

[Forest Dweller]

I wonder if Chris Avellone inspired this talk.

 

[Roguey]

I wonder if Chris Avellone inspired this talk.

He is definitely being called out as one of the mavericks who leave destruction in his wake. She was there to salvage Grieving Mother.

 

[The Nameless One]

"Time to poison another well."

 

[scytheavatar]

Night School put up a job listing for a game director 2 months ago https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7307830962854248448/

We’re hiring! We are adding a few new folks to help us make world class narrative games that leave a meaningful impact on players. Openings:
Game Director
️ Sr. Writer
Lead Artist
Lead Game Designer (opening soon)
️ Sr. Game Designer (opening soon)

Checked out a call for a game director job that's in New York instead of LA

The range for this role is $220,000 - $440,000

That minimum is more than what Sawyer, a 20+ year veteran, makes.

As Avellone put it way back when

EDIT: And this isn't a secret, but the payscale at Obsidian is definitely on the low end of the industry as well - the tradeoff is you get to work on RPGs, though (usually).

- Also, I've mentioned this before, but the Obsidian payscale is low and always has been (they don't often have a lot of money in the bank, especially around review time - or it's all been spent on something else). When you leave, you suddenly realize there's more value in what you do - I didn't quite realize how much until I left, but working for companies that aren't struggling is a much different beast. (As an example, Feargus's contracting offers were often half of what they are in the rest of the game development world, so that was an eye-opener.)

Unfortunately, that Blizzard advancement quote is true of a number of companies, and it's also true of salaries (it's an unfortunate fact that, in some companies, if an employee leaves for a higher-paying similar position at another company, then return to the same company, they'll often be hired back on at a payscale that would never be what they got had they remained at the company - this happened at Obsidian).

She gets to be paid more to work on games that are far less demanding to make than RPGs. It's an upgrade in every way.

It's an upgrade in every way.

Roguey the netflix gaming division has been hemorrhaging devs and execs for years. They have laid off people, closed studios, cancelled games, fired their VP, fired the director from their biggest project, shoved out of the door the entire team for their AAA project, etc. Patel might get a big salary bump but Netflix is a shitshow, even compared to the clusterfuck called Obsidian. They hired her because she managed to 'salvage' Avowed, will Netflix have the same patience MSFT had with Obsidian? We will need to check back in a couple of years.

It was reported that all these firings at Netflix was because they decided they want to pivot away from AAA games and into games like Oxenfree and Into the Breach. Which is why folks like Staten got to boot. Whether Patel is qualified or suitable to make these type of games is debatable but Netflix at least does seem to have a plan and direction they want to take.

 

[Elttharion]

Night School put up a job listing for a game director 2 months ago https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7307830962854248448/

We’re hiring! We are adding a few new folks to help us make world class narrative games that leave a meaningful impact on players. Openings:
Game Director
️ Sr. Writer
Lead Artist
Lead Game Designer (opening soon)
️ Sr. Game Designer (opening soon)

Checked out a call for a game director job that's in New York instead of LA

The range for this role is $220,000 - $440,000

That minimum is more than what Sawyer, a 20+ year veteran, makes.

As Avellone put it way back when

EDIT: And this isn't a secret, but the payscale at Obsidian is definitely on the low end of the industry as well - the tradeoff is you get to work on RPGs, though (usually).

- Also, I've mentioned this before, but the Obsidian payscale is low and always has been (they don't often have a lot of money in the bank, especially around review time - or it's all been spent on something else). When you leave, you suddenly realize there's more value in what you do - I didn't quite realize how much until I left, but working for companies that aren't struggling is a much different beast. (As an example, Feargus's contracting offers were often half of what they are in the rest of the game development world, so that was an eye-opener.)

Unfortunately, that Blizzard advancement quote is true of a number of companies, and it's also true of salaries (it's an unfortunate fact that, in some companies, if an employee leaves for a higher-paying similar position at another company, then return to the same company, they'll often be hired back on at a payscale that would never be what they got had they remained at the company - this happened at Obsidian).

She gets to be paid more to work on games that are far less demanding to make than RPGs. It's an upgrade in every way.

It's an upgrade in every way.

Roguey the netflix gaming division has been hemorrhaging devs and execs for years. They have laid off people, closed studios, cancelled games, fired their VP, fired the director from their biggest project, shoved out of the door the entire team for their AAA project, etc. Patel might get a big salary bump but Netflix is a shitshow, even compared to the clusterfuck called Obsidian. They hired her because she managed to 'salvage' Avowed, will Netflix have the same patience MSFT had with Obsidian? We will need to check back in a couple of years.

It was reported that all these firings at Netflix was because they decided they want to pivot away from AAA games and into games like Oxenfree and Into the Breach. Which is why folks like Staten got to boot. Whether Patel is qualified or suitable to make these type of games is debatable but Netflix at least does seem to have a plan and direction they want to take.

That makes sense for their AAA studio, the one they closed. The problem is that they never made Into the Breach, only ported it to mobile, and they did lay offs at the Oxenfree studio just a couple months ago. Plus Oxenfree 2 looks like a big flop.