Has your opinion of Obsidian changed after Avellone’s revelations and Deadfire?

[Harry Easter]

Putting the Avellone - drama aside: when I read articles about how much money Obsidian lost before PoE 1 I was like "oh, okay. They really ARE bad businesspeople and it wasn't only the evil publisher destroying everything." It put some things into perspective.

I considered them my favorite developer, a few years ago. I liked the ambition of AP, F:NV, even what they tried to do with Dungeon Siege 3. I believed there was a smash-hit in waiting, if they would just do their own IP.

Then came Pillars 1 and ... yeah, it was alright. I also liked Tyranny and Pillars 2, but those games lack a certain spark. They are relatively safe, so to speak. Say what you want about Larian, but at least they try to do better with every game they make, even when it bites them in the ass timewise.

I think Pillars 2 is the better game mechanics wise, but I would have liked to see the devs do something more. Right now, it provides a good template for DLC's and they could turn the game from "good" to "a bit more good" like the White March did with Pillars 1, but that's just so ... safe. Meh.

 

[Irata]

In regards to beating the Avellone dead horse:
California doesn't recognize non-compete clauses. As an employee, he had nothing to worry about.

As has already been said, non-compete clauses tend to be hard to enforce even when allowed. Courts are reluctant to take away someone's livelihood, even for a short period, and saying "No RPGs" (or was it even wider and no videogames at all?) is likely way too broad to stand. A movie studio (assuming Cali actually enforced non-competes) couldn't prevent an actor from continuing to work in the movie industry or even a specific genre for any amount of time. I don't see his situation as being much different. He's a videogame writer. You can't prevent him from writing for videogames.

 

[Irata]

There's a rumour going around that Microsoft has sent a letter of intent (to purchase) to Obsidian. How does a Microsoft owned Obsidian sound?

 

[Grauken]

Sounds good, they might wring one or two good games out of them before recycling the studio

 

[fantadomat]

Don't really care,Obsidian is interesting as Biowaste at this point.

 

[Nano]

Roguey I'm gonna need a citation to back up that FAKE NEWS rating.

 

[Flou]

Don't really care,Obsidian is interesting as Biowaste at this point.

So does that mean you post on all BioWare related topics as well, spewing your obsessed edgy hatred?

 

[Roguey]

Roguey I'm gonna need a citation to back up that FAKE NEWS rating.

Doesn't make sense for Microsoft to buy a company that wasted their time and money with Stormlands.

 

[Infinitron]

More to the point, I believe the alleged letter of intent was an offer from Obsidian to Microsoft, not vice versa.

Obsidian is a company they like, and that's why they never reported on it.

Didn't they also like Irrational Games? I remember all sorts of leaks coming out during Bioshock Infinite's long and troubled development.

I'm willing to believe that game journos have refrained from printing the story about Avellone and Obsidian, but I also think they wouldn't have refrained if there was an unambiguously big and juicy story to tell. I'd love to know what Obsidian told them.

 

[Roguey]

Didn't they also like Irrational Games? I remember all sorts of leaks coming out during Bioshock Infinite's long and troubled development.

While "Ken Levine is a prima donna hack" was a conclusion one could draw from those articles, it wasn't one the articles themselves made.

 

[Aim1ess]

Don't really care,Obsidian is interesting as Biowaste at this point.

So does that mean you post on all BioWare related topics as well, spewing your obsessed edgy hatred?

It's funny that you have people like me that still like Obsidian that haven't played Deadfire yet(im waiting for 4.0) while there are people that talk shit about Obsidian and this franchise and Deadfire specifically that have already beaten the DLC, maybe even did a second playthrough for it. Boy they must really hate obsidian games to play them so quickly and thoroughly to trash them.

 

[Mastermind]

I don't know what the exact truth is, but it was appalling watching this community treat everything Avellone said like it was gospel.

So you've been appalled by the codex since day 1 then because that's just business as usual. The day Avellone's cock gets a break from the 24/7 penis humidor that is the codex is the day you see the four horsemen riding past your window.

 

[Sentinel]

Roguey I'm gonna need a citation to back up that FAKE NEWS rating.

Doesn't make sense for Microsoft to buy a company that wasted their time and money with Stormlands.

tank market price to buy them for cheaper
EA did the same thing.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

When CD Projekt work conditions came to light after one developer spoke out, did the press reach out to employees? No. A fucking youtuber interviewed 50 employees and published his report. No press did it. Let that sink in.

Why would American press give a shit about working condition in some Slav sweatshop?

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

B-but muh Poles, they're part of the W-west!

 

[The Bishop]

Didn't play Deadfire, but have to say my view of Obsidian did indeed change after MCA's revelations.

Originally I though of Obsidian in terms of a typical Adam Sandler character - well intended but goofy, trying to make a difference but constantly failing to deliver. And of course with this type of character there is an expectation that in the end they will manage to turn their luck around and ride off into the sunset.

And now Obsidian looks to me more like the bunch from Pain & Gain: not lacking in ambition or willingness to step over others in order to achieve their goal, but failing to do so through utter incompetence. No expectation of happy ending in this kind of story.

 

[undecaf]

Has your opinion changed after Avellone's revelations and Deadfire?

No.

If they make games that interest me, or better yet, I care to actually play, I pay attention. I don't give a shit what happens within the studio between people who work and/or used to work there. If they don't manage to create something interesting, I look elsewhere. That's how it's been since since they started. They are a capable studio at their best, and a fucking borefest at their worst.

 

[masteratt]

Has your opinion changed after Avellone's revelations and Deadfire?

No.

I always try to look past the 'artist' to the 'art' itself. I hold KOTOR2, New Vegas and Alpha Protocol in very high regard and those three games are Obsidian to me.
I did not enjoy Pillars 1 at all, it was very dull for me (writing felt stale and all over the place, fantasy setting didn't help) but that had nothing to do with Chris' revelations.