Obsidian General Discussion Thread

[vortex]

Stormlands could happen.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...n-raid-obsidians-cancelled-xbox-one-exclusive

The Stormlands cancellation began what Obsidian refers to as the Summer of Proposals, where around 10 ideas were pitched to almost every publisher under the sun, and I'll tell you about a bunch of those early next week. Stormlands, meanwhile, wasn't wasted, but was worked into a new pitch for a new game called Fallen, with an even darker world. "We pitched Ubisoft, we pitched 2K, we pitched everybody." says Urquhart. "A lot of people we'd pitched Stormlands to and it was a challenge to re-pitch a game that had now been cancelled. It makes sense - why pick up a game that another publisher cancelled?"

No one ever did pick up Fallen but thrifty old Obsidian salvaged the idea yet again, creating another pitch which Paradox would sign at the beginning of 2014. It became Tyranny, which received the expansion Bastard's Wound this week.

 

[Flou]

AAA-Skyrimlike by Chris Parker
Small project by Matthew Perez
Small non-violent project by Josh Sawyer
Grounded by Adam Brennecke
Small/Large project by badler
Small team that works on Outer Worlds post-launch content (possible preps OW2 in the future)

Do we know the canned one is not one of Perez's/Adler's projects?

Yep it was Perez (Or at least he isn't a game director anymore, instead Lead Area Designer)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-perez-4631672a/

The timeline here could suggest a Outer Worlds DLC being Perez's project. That's not the first mention I've seen that people working on the DLC would have stopped working on it in November. The cancellation itself happened earlier than November.

 

[Flou]

The others are smaller. Grounded is just a dozen people. Sawyer Elysium is probably fewer than a dozen.
I imagine PoE 3 likely fell victim to scheduling conflicts. This killed Bioware games/ideas for smaller games earlier in the decade.

Pillars 3 could be Badler's project. If Perez was the Game Director on a cancelled game rather than Outer Worlds DLC, that game did most likely fell victim to The Outer Worlds selling really well. Can't put that IP into a limbo for a year if it actually sold that well.

 

[Duraframe300]

AAA-Skyrimlike by Chris Parker
Small project by Matthew Perez
Small non-violent project by Josh Sawyer
Grounded by Adam Brennecke
Small/Large project by badler
Small team that works on Outer Worlds post-launch content (possible preps OW2 in the future)

Do we know the canned one is not one of Perez's/Adler's projects?

Yep it was Perez (Or at least he isn't a game director anymore, instead Lead Area Designer)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-perez-4631672a/

The timeline here could suggest a Outer Worlds DLC being Perez's project. That's not the first mention I've seen that people working on the DLC would have stopped working on it in November. The cancellation itself happened earlier than November.

Perez didn't work on Outer Worlds though. Why put him in charge of DLC?

 

[Flou]

Perez didn't work on Outer Worlds though. Why put him in charge of DLC?

Why put Fenstermaker in charge of the writers? Maybe he was the only available candidate for it? (Though Brian Heins would have been the better candidate for sure here, unless they were unhappy with his performance on Tyranny)

Seriously though Adler seems like the more likely candidate to lead Pillars 3. Since he had the Game Director role for the DLCs which were quite nicely executed. Unless they decide to scratch The Watcher, it would be a weird decision to cancel Pillars 3 completely. Feargus seems like the man who would want to finish the saga rather than leave it unfinished, hell he might even want to lead that project himself (someone save us from this fate)

 

[LESS T_T]

FWIW:

 

[Riddler]

Seriously though Adler seems like the more likely candidate to lead Pillars 3. Since he had the Game Director role for the DLCs which were quite nicely executed. Unless they decide to scratch The Watcher, it would be a weird decision to cancel Pillars 3 completely. Feargus seems like the man who would want to finish the saga rather than leave it unfinished, hell he might even want to lead that project himself (someone save us from this fate)

Why would they want to finish a saga for which the interest has imploded?

Make a new isometric game, sure, but Pillars 3 just seems retarded at this point.

 

[Whipped Cream]

A couple of days ago I would have said that there is zero chance that they are doing another Pillars game and that the franchise is dead due to Pillars 2's poor sales and a lack of interest in the franchise from the public.

But after Grounded's announcement its pretty clear that Feargus' decisionmaking process is not grounded in this reality, so I'd say anything can happen.

 

[DalekFlay]

But after Grounded's announcement its pretty clear that Feargus' decisionmaking process is not grounded in this reality, so I'd say anything can happen.

Yeah man, because open world survival co-op games are just a dead genre. Not a long list of successful ones on Steam, no sir. Your personal taste is obviously right on the pulse of the industry.

 

[Whipped Cream]

I mainly just said the first part of the sentece because of the bad pun. What I really meant was that after the announcement of Grounded anything can happen.

 

[Flou]

Why would they want to finish a saga for which the interest has imploded?
Make a new isometric game, sure, but Pillars 3 just seems retarded at this point.

You know creative types usually want to finish the story they started, rather than leave it hanging. Also if you consider the PR side of things, Microsoft would be blamed for Pillars 3 never getting made. Somehow I don't think that is the reputation they want to get when it comes to handling their studios. They will allow Obsidian to make that game. Not to mention Feargus seems like the guy who would be proud of delivering the Baldur's Gate of this generation.
Deadfire was bought by half a a million people or over that. Don't need to be a mathematical genius to calculate that you can make a profitable game with those numbers even though Gamepass changes things. You would have a long ass critically praised cRPG trilogy on your service for an eternity (pun very much intended). That is something that the subscription based model is built upon. Content, franchises and countless hours of gameplay.

They aren't going to kill the series just because Versus Evil fucked up with the marketing (like they did with Banner Saga).

 

[Atchodas]

But Sawyer doesn't know what he did wrong on the first 2 games so he cant make the third one

Spoiler

 

[Roguey]

Feargus seems like the man who would want to finish the saga rather than leave it unfinished

What about it is "unfinished"? Both PoEs look like complete stories to me.

 

[Nano]

Why put Fenstermaker in charge of the writers? Maybe he was the only available candidate for it?

It's already been established that Fenstermaker wasn't the only available candidate if you're not Feargus.

 

[Semper]

Make a new isometric game, sure, but Pillars 3 just seems retarded at this point.

yeah, no. another isometric entry in the series wouldn't fly, at least not in the foreseeable future. there's simply too many similar games around, and it's also a clunky genre on consoles. microsoft would be better advised to let obsidian create a third or first person crpg in poe's setting. cut the ties to the first two games, namely being a watcher and recurring companions, and let it play in a vailian city and its outskirts. a project size like outer worlds would be enough to test the waters. if it tanks, they better lay the setting to rest for the coming years.

 

[Flou]

Why put Fenstermaker in charge of the writers? Maybe he was the only available candidate for it?

It's already been established that Fenstermaker wasn't the only available candidate if you're not Feargus.

And I never claimed he was the only one.

 

[Riddler]

Make a new isometric game, sure, but Pillars 3 just seems retarded at this point.

yeah, no. another isometric entry in the series wouldn't fly, at least not in the foreseeable future. there's simply too many similar games around, and it's also a clunky genre on consoles. microsoft would be better advised to let obsidian create a third or first person crpg in poe's setting. cut the ties to the first two games, namely being a watcher and recurring companions, and let it play in a vailian city and its outskirts. a project size like outer worlds would be enough to test the waters. if it tanks, they better lay the setting to rest for the coming years.

The point would be to reuse the tech and not be tied down by associations to PoE which seems to turn people off.

With a lower budget for a sequel it would likely be profitable.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

22. Alabama - ???

Obsidian is doing a porn game?

 

[DalekFlay]

yeah, no. another isometric entry in the series wouldn't fly, at least not in the foreseeable future. there's simply too many similar games around, and it's also a clunky genre on consoles. microsoft would be better advised to let obsidian create a third or first person crpg in poe's setting. cut the ties to the first two games, namely being a watcher and recurring companions, and let it play in a vailian city and its outskirts. a project size like outer worlds would be enough to test the waters. if it tanks, they better lay the setting to rest for the coming years.

Yeah, I just don't see Microsoft funding another isometric RtwP Pillars game in general, let alone when the last one sold worse. I'm not sure they'll mess with that IP again for a while though. I think it's 99% guaranteed they're working on a "AAA" action RPG for Microsoft's next console, and I don't see it being Pillars related.

 

[Efe]

there could be something like baldurs gate dark alliance for poe

 

[Flou]

there could be something like baldurs gate dark alliance for poe

I think you forgot to add the slamdunk picture in your post.

 

[LESS T_T]

FWIW2: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-anthony-rios-8600684a/

Assistant Sound Designer

Company Name Obsidian Entertainment (Contract)
Dates Employed Oct 2018 – Nov 2019
Employment Duration 1 yr 2 mos
Location Irvine, California

The Outer Worlds
• Implemented spatial audio game objects
• Ambient character foley
• Dialog editing

Grounded
• Creature sound design and implementation

Unannounced Title
• Weapon sound design and implementation

 

[Morgoth]

https://wccftech.com/phil-spencer-focus-rpg/

Phil Spencer Says Xbox Needs to Focus More on RPGs; “Is An Area That We Should Focus”
By Aernout van de Velde
12 mins ago
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During a recent video interview with Xbox UK, Xbox boss Phil Spencer talked about the future of the brand going forward.

In the interview, Microsoft’s executive Vice President also mentioned the areas that he believes need more attention in the future, more particularly the gaming genres that require more focus. RPG fans will be happy to learn that the head of Xbox intends to step up on the RPG genre.

“One of the things that I’m really proud of that I see now is how RPGs are stepping up for us”, the executive said.

“Back in the day, when I think Mass Effect 1 which I worked on, Jade Empire, Fable… I remember we really staked out RPGs as something that was important.”

Spencer continued that while shooters have been going strong, the team intends to focus more on delivering role-playing-games in the future.

“Obviously first-person and third-person shooters have been strong, but it’s nice with Outer Worlds coming out, Wasteland… I think RPG is an area that we purposedly focused on and wanted to do more.

“But it’s also, as we’re watching Xbox Game Pass grow and grow, we’re seeing more genres enter, and whether it’s genres that used to be popular and coming back or creators trying new things because they have an audience that’s always there and they can think how to deliver stories to those people… But I do think RPG is an area that we should focus and I think X0 will be fun around that news as well.”

The output of RPG games on the Xbox One has been somewhat low since the console’s release in 2013. The recent acquisitions of both inXile (Wasteland 3) and Obsidian Entertainment (The Outer Worlds) are part of Microsoft’s plan to focus more on delivering RPG games. Let’s hope that we’ll be able to enjoy more of this genre on the Xbox Scarlett and PC in the years to come.

Good thing they acquired the RPG-experts of Obsidian Entertainment, currently working on the not-RPG Grounded.

 

[Turuko]

But they allegedly acquired them for the other project
The AAA one
The Skyrim KILLAH

 

[Curious_Tongue]

What's this Skyrim killer?