Obsidian General Discussion Thread

[Sentinel]

Orma is buttbuddies with Josh on Steam. That's why he fanboys for Obsidian. He's BIASED!

 

[TT1]

I can totally see Josh leaving obsidian. That thing of he saying

I’ve said it in a few streams, I think. I’m now in my 19th year in the industry and I’ve been working on Pillars 1 & 2 for about 6 years. I’m going to be on Deadfire (not the DLCs) until we’re done patching and improving it, but after that I’m taking a break from directing for a while.

and that video about Aliens... looks like he is preparing to leave or already gone.

 

[Sentinel]

If Josh leaves Obsidian that's pre-2011 Obsidian 100% gone. That's worse and a faster exodus than BioWare.

Yikes.

 

[Quillon]

FYSMDickstarter incoming then? MCA as $5M stretch goal hype!

If he leaves, I'd lose 70% interest in Obs Only chance for them would be Cainarsky hitting a home run.

 

[TT1]

Well, IGN video is online

 

[Cross]

“When it was announced that we were working on an Aliens role-playing game, I think a lot of people couldn’t even comprehend it, which seems crazy to me,” Sawyer says. “I can’t remember when we started working on it relative to Mass Effect, but sci-fi games as RPGs were not necessarily a super big thing outside of Mass Effect.”

“With the first Pillars, I admit that I was being very conservative. So much of the company’s fate depended on its success. I was so concerned about making something that was too far away that I cleaved very tightly to traditional Western European, Forgotten Realms fantasy.

Why is it that every time I read an interview with Saywer, he's always going on about how people are unable to handle RPGs not set in a generic fantasy universe? Who are these people, and why does this supposed aversion not stop even the biggest publishers in the world from developing a variety of non-fantasy RPGs such as Mass Effect and the new Fallout and Deus Ex games?

 

[Sentinel]

“When it was announced that we were working on an Aliens role-playing game, I think a lot of people couldn’t even comprehend it, which seems crazy to me,” Sawyer says. “I can’t remember when we started working on it relative to Mass Effect, but sci-fi games as RPGs were not necessarily a super big thing outside of Mass Effect.”

“With the first Pillars, I admit that I was being very conservative. So much of the company’s fate depended on its success. I was so concerned about making something that was too far away that I cleaved very tightly to traditional Western European, Forgotten Realms fantasy.

Why is it that every time I read an interview with Saywer, he's always going on about how people are unabe to handle RPGs not set in a generic fantasy universe? Who are these people, and why does this supposed aversion not stop even the biggest publishers in the world from developing a variety of non-fantasy RPGs such as Mass Effect and the new Fallout and Deus Ex games?

He's stuck in a world of lies fed to him by clueless and incompetent marketing deparments.

 

[Sentinel]

Well, IGN video is online

Couldn't click anything in the thumbnail cause it asks me to consent but I can't scroll down to find the button so here's the link.

http://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/2...rpg-design-guru-josh-sawyer-ign-unfiltered-32

 

[Infinitron]

“When it was announced that we were working on an Aliens role-playing game, I think a lot of people couldn’t even comprehend it, which seems crazy to me,” Sawyer says. “I can’t remember when we started working on it relative to Mass Effect, but sci-fi games as RPGs were not necessarily a super big thing outside of Mass Effect.”

“With the first Pillars, I admit that I was being very conservative. So much of the company’s fate depended on its success. I was so concerned about making something that was too far away that I cleaved very tightly to traditional Western European, Forgotten Realms fantasy.

Why is it that every time I read an interview with Saywer, he's always going on about how people are unabe to handle RPGs not set in a generic fantasy universe? Who are these people, and why does this supposed aversion not stop even the biggest publishers in the world from developing a variety of non-fantasy RPGs such as Mass Effect and the new Fallout and Deus Ex games?

Mass Effect falls under "exceptions that prove the rule".

It's true that post-apocalyptic settings are becoming about as normie-acceptable as fantasy, though.

 

[Bocian]

Eric Neigher, Marketing Director who joined last year, has left Obsidian

What a neigher.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Name 5 unconventional RPG universes that had a significant market success in the last decade. I'll wait.

 

[Latelistener]

Why is it that every time I read an interview with Saywer, he's always going on about how people are unabe to handle RPGs not set in a generic fantasy universe? Who are these people, and why does this supposed aversion not stop even the biggest publishers in the world from developing a variety of non-fantasy RPGs such as Mass Effect and the new Fallout and Deus Ex games?

The guy wants to make a historical RPG, but Obsidian won't let him, so he blames players.
That game may not be as popular as a fantasy RPG, but it still can be successful.
In fact, I'm sure many people expected something more unique from Obsidian on Kickstarter, rather than a BG clone.

 

[Quillon]

“When it was announced that we were working on an Aliens role-playing game, I think a lot of people couldn’t even comprehend it, which seems crazy to me,” Sawyer says. “I can’t remember when we started working on it relative to Mass Effect, but sci-fi games as RPGs were not necessarily a super big thing outside of Mass Effect.”

“With the first Pillars, I admit that I was being very conservative. So much of the company’s fate depended on its success. I was so concerned about making something that was too far away that I cleaved very tightly to traditional Western European, Forgotten Realms fantasy.

Why is it that every time I read an interview with Saywer, he's always going on about how people are unabe to handle RPGs not set in a generic fantasy universe? Who are these people, and why does this supposed aversion not stop even the biggest publishers in the world from developing a variety of non-fantasy RPGs such as Mass Effect and the new Fallout and Deus Ex games?

Mass Effect falls under "exceptions that prove the rule".

It's true that post-apocalyptic settings are becoming about as normie-acceptable as fantasy, though.

Post. Apoc. is more acceptable than fantasy for a long while now. As I've claimed many times before, everybody got sick of fantasy except for nostalgic fucks who obviously haven't been agreeing with me on this

If Obs kickstarted a post apoc game instead of pillows back in dat day. it would have been a lot more successful than pillows fo-sure!

Realistic(not hardcore) > (high)Fantasy crap in this generation. See it.

 

[Latelistener]

A certain dev everyone here loves is at least considering it.

If he doesn't want to manage, he should grab some people who want to do that for him when leaving Obsidian.

 

[Sentinel]

Name 5 unconventional RPG universes that had a significant market success in the last decade. I'll wait.

You're gonna have to explain what you mean by "universe". Do you consider Morrowind generic fantasy?

 

[Quillon]

A certain dev everyone here loves is at least considering it.

If he doesn't want to manage, he should grab some people who want to do that for him when leaving Obsidian.

Whadabout dat Markland dude? :D

 

[Cross]

“When it was announced that we were working on an Aliens role-playing game, I think a lot of people couldn’t even comprehend it, which seems crazy to me,” Sawyer says. “I can’t remember when we started working on it relative to Mass Effect, but sci-fi games as RPGs were not necessarily a super big thing outside of Mass Effect.”

“With the first Pillars, I admit that I was being very conservative. So much of the company’s fate depended on its success. I was so concerned about making something that was too far away that I cleaved very tightly to traditional Western European, Forgotten Realms fantasy.

Why is it that every time I read an interview with Saywer, he's always going on about how people are unabe to handle RPGs not set in a generic fantasy universe? Who are these people, and why does this supposed aversion not stop even the biggest publishers in the world from developing a variety of non-fantasy RPGs such as Mass Effect and the new Fallout and Deus Ex games?

Mass Effect falls under "exceptions that prove the rule".

What rule? Sci-fi is so mainstream that we have comedy shows that revolve entirely around parodying Star Trek. 'Oblivion with guns' shows how trivial it is to swap out your video game fantasy setting for any other setting, and be just as succesful.

Name 5 unconventional RPG universes that had a significant market success in the last decade. I'll wait.

Who said anything about being unconventional? Sawyer seems to be weary of any RPG not set in a generic fantasy universe, which is what I was criticizing.

Fallout 4 is the best-selling RPG ever made, and Pokemon is the best-selling RPG franchise ever made. Let that sink in for a moment.

 

[Infinitron]

Post. Apoc. is more acceptable than fantasy for a long while now. As I've claimed many times before, everybody got sick of fantasy except for nostalgic fucks who obviously haven't been agreeing with me on this

If Obs kickstarted a post apoc game instead of pillows back in dat day. it would have been a lot more successful than pillows fo-sure!

Realistic(not hardcore) > (high)Fantasy crap in this generation. See it.

I've seen a lot of people say this, but then you see stuff like Black Geyser fantasy shovelware blowing out Copper Dreams on Kickstarter. Fantasy just seems to get peoples' attention. It has a shallow but broad appeal.

 

[Cross]

Post. Apoc. is more acceptable than fantasy for a long while now. As I've claimed many times before, everybody got sick of fantasy except for nostalgic fucks who obviously haven't been agreeing with me on this

If Obs kickstarted a post apoc game instead of pillows back in dat day. it would have been a lot more successful than pillows fo-sure!

Realistic(not hardcore) > (high)Fantasy crap in this generation. See it.

I've seen a lot of people say this, but then you see stuff like Black Geyser fantasy shovelware blowing out Copper Dreams on Kickstarter. Fantasy just seems to perk peoples' attention.

Black Geyser is shovelware, but it's shovelware with significantly higher production values than Copper Dreams, and their Kickstarter campaign showed off a gameplay video.

You should be comparing Copper Dreams to Whalenought's previous Kickstarted game, Serpent in the Staglands. The former raised signficantly more than the latter, going against your theory (though obviously other factors are at play, like it being their second Kickstarter).

Diversification is business theory 101. Every other developer seems to realize this: Blizzard made Starcraft as a sci-fi equivalent to Warcraft, the Build Engine shooters explored a variety of different settings and themes, even Bioware and Bethesda have their own non-fantasy RPG franchises. Obsidian on the other hand seems perpetually terrified of making anything other than high fantasy RPGs.

 

[Sentinel]

I'd be hyped for a Sawyer studio but Avellone doesn't seem inclined to want to join a studio on a permanent basis and Cain/Boyarsky are stuck at Obsidian so it's really meh. The stars aren't aligned.

 

[Infinitron]

The first time they made their own IP it was Alpha Protocol and their first game ever was Star Wars so that's a bit unfair.

 

[TT1]

I just finished the IGN interview. Nothing new.

 

[Sentinel]

Well, IGN video is online

Horee sheit his face when he replies to "Would you ever want to do another Fallout game" with "Yeah I think it would be a lot of fun".



That's true suffering in a man's eyes. He knows he'll never touch it again.

 

[Lahey]

I'd be hyped for a Sawyer studio but Avellone doesn't seem inclined to want to join a studio on a permanent basis and Cain/Boyarsky are stuck at Obsidian so it's really meh. The stars aren't aligned.

At risk of cold increasing, MCA might change his mind after personal circumstances change. Cain/Boyarsky may leave if Obsidian is sold. Ziets will likely leave InXile after W3. Cleve and Monty are waiting for the bat signal. A man can dream team.

 

[fantadomat]

I got the feeling that he was very disinterested while making Deadfire,the game feel like it is put together just to have a sequel and nothing original when in to making it. If he want to make a historical RPG Eastern Europa is the place for him,not some AAA studio. I personally don't care where he goes,i care for the end product not the "celebrity" names behind it.


PS:Communicating in such friendly manner with Orma put him on my possible sjw pushing dev list.