Obsidian General Discussion Thread

[Ging_Sama]

In before "he has written novels, hence he is shit" crowd gets here.

His resume is at least good when it comes writing for games. Not to mention all that RPG writing experience as well. Will be fun/terrifying to see how all transfers to writing Obsidian style game, all of the games I recognize from that list are quite simplistic as in there's really no choice when it comes to dialogue options.

I think Obsidian needs a bit of Modernization in the narrative design, his experience on modern AAA could do some good.

 

[Hace El Oso]

His resume is at least good when it comes writing for games.

All the games he was lead writer on had no writing or sub-porno tier writing. Rainbow Six Siege? Far Cry 3?

 

[Quillon]

His resume is at least good when it comes writing for games.

All the games he was lead writer on had no writing or sub-porno tier writing. Rainbow Six Siege? Far Cry 3?

Do you know the definition of insanity?

 

[Duraframe300]

His resume is at least good when it comes writing for games.

All the games he was lead writer on had no writing or sub-porno tier writing. Rainbow Six Siege? Far Cry 3?

His resume is at least good when it comes writing for games.

All the games he was lead writer on had no writing or sub-porno tier writing. Rainbow Six Siege? Far Cry 3?

Do you know the definition of insanity?

Technically he wasn't *lead writer* on any of those, as in he wasn't the guy in charge of the narrative. (That list is a bit confusing on that front)
He's also not the *definition of insanity* guy (AFAIK, could be wrong on that).

 

[vortex]

The question is how avellonian can he write on the scale 1 to 10. 10 being the spirit of MCA.

 

[agris]

I’m going with 4i, given his resume.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

I thought Far Cry 3 had some of the absolute worst writing I've ever experienced in a videogame, but I found Far Cry 4 enjoyable enough. Blew my mind when I found out they were written by the same team. It's like if Amanda McKittrick Ros suddenly put out a competent albeit totally forgettable page-turner.

 

[Ging_Sama]

I thought Far Cry 3 had some of the absolute worst writing I've ever experienced in a videogame, but I found Far Cry 4 enjoyable enough. Blew my mind when I found out they were written by the same team. It's like if Amanda McKittrick Ros suddenly put out a competent albeit totally forgettable page-turner.

Yeah and he is Lead writer on FC4.

On FC3 he is story designer.

 

[80Maxwell08]

Ex-Ubisoft Lead Writer Lucien Soulban joined Obsidian as Lead Narrative Designer for a secret project: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucien-soulban-956695/

Lead Narrative Designer

Company Name Obsidian Entertainment (Full-time
Dates Employed Mar 2020 – Present
Employment Duration 3 mos

Lead Narrative Designer for an upcoming, hush hush project.

BAFTA nominated writer for Best Story 2013 & 2015: Far Cry 3 & Far Cry 4.

- AAA SCRIPTWRITER & LEAD WRITER
> "Rainbow Six: Quarantine" by Ubisoft Montreal
> "Rainbow Six: Siege" by Ubisoft Montreal
> "Watch_Dogs 2" by Ubisoft Montreal
> "Far Cry 4" by Ubisoft Montreal
> "Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon" by Ubisoft Montreal
> "Far Cry 3" by Ubisoft Montreal
> "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" by Eidos Montreal
> "Rainbow Six: Vegas" by Ubisoft Montreal
> "Warhammer: Dawn of War" by Relic Entertainment and THQ

ADDITIONAL VIDEOGAME WORK AS SCRIPTWRITER
> "Winter Assault" by Relic Entertainment and THQ
> "Dawn of Heroes" by Majesco
> "Kung-Fu Panda" by A2M
> "Kim Possible 3" by A2M and Disney
> "Kim Possible: Kimmunicator" by A2M and Disney
> "Chicken Little" by A2M and Disney
> "Monster House" by A2M
> "Drake & Josh" by A2M
> "Enchanted" by A2M and Disney

NOVELS
> "Renegade Wizards" for Wizards of the Coast
> "Warhammer 40K: Desert Raiders" for Black Library
> "Blood In, Blood Out" for White Wolf Publishing
> "Fleshworks" for Black Library
> "Dragonlance: Alien Sea" for Wizards of the Coast

ANTHOLOGIES
> "Hell in a Handbasket" for Blood Lite
> "Good Breeding" for Blood Lite 2
> "Four Horsemen Reunion Tour: An Apocumentary" for Blood Lite 3.
> "The Fare" for The Zombie Feed
> "The Choir" for Dark Faith
> "Serenade" for Horrors Beyond 2

RPG WRITER, DEVELOPER, EDITOR (Select samples from over 90+ books)
> "Orpheus" Limited Series for White Wolf (creators of Vampire: The Masquerade).
> Hero High - Green Ronin’s Mutants and Masterminds
> Lockdown - Green Ronin's Mutants and Masterminds
> Demon: The Fallen White Wolf's Demon: The Fallen
> Dark Ages 2nd Edition White Wolf's Vampire: Dark Ages
> Exalted Rulebook White Wolf's Exalted
> Clanbook: Tzimisce Revised White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade
> Montreal by Night White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade
> Constantinople by Night White Wolf's Vampire: Dark Ages
> A World of Darkness 2nd Edition White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade

If someone told me one of the writers for Dawn of War also wrote on a bunch of nickelodeon/disney cash grabs, I don't think I would have believed them. The same guy who wrote on a Drake and Josh game wrote for Dawn of War and Winter Assault. Still having trouble believing that.

 

[Doktor Best]

Wait someone got a price for writing Far Cry 3?

The game in which you play captain douchebag college kid with sub 70 iq who suddently becomes rambo and genocides natives in the hundreds because the titties of some voodoo priest told him so when he was tripping on mushrooms?

That Far Cry 3?

 

[Duraframe300]

I thought Far Cry 3 had some of the absolute worst writing I've ever experienced in a videogame, but I found Far Cry 4 enjoyable enough. Blew my mind when I found out they were written by the same team. It's like if Amanda McKittrick Ros suddenly put out a competent albeit totally forgettable page-turner.

Yeah and he is Lead writer on FC4.

On FC3 he is story designer.

He was a Lead Writer on FC 4. Among two people. And even then he still wasn't actually the lead over the story, that was Mark Thompson (Narrative Director)

Again, the title is super confusing here. Does anyone have some info on what he actually wrote?

 

[LESS T_T]

MS will announce next-gen first-party games in July: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/05/05/xbox-2020-the-future-of-xbox/

In July, we will dedicate time to focus on the incredible games coming from Xbox Game Studios. A number of our studio teams are looking forward to sharing first looks at new gameplay, insights from development teams being optimized for Xbox Series X, and brand-new game announcements. We cannot wait to share this initial look at what some of those teams are working on.

Matt Booty just confirmed in Xbox Inside that there will be an announcement from Obsidian (as well as Double Fine and Ninja Theory) in July.

 

[Ging_Sama]

MS will announce next-gen first-party games in July: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/05/05/xbox-2020-the-future-of-xbox/

In July, we will dedicate time to focus on the incredible games coming from Xbox Game Studios. A number of our studio teams are looking forward to sharing first looks at new gameplay, insights from development teams being optimized for Xbox Series X, and brand-new game announcements. We cannot wait to share this initial look at what some of those teams are working on.

Matt Booty just confirmed in Xbox Inside that there will be an announcement from Obsidian (as well as Double Fine and Ninja Theory) in July.

Chris Parker time.

 

[LESS T_T]

Absorbing more people from other AAA studios:



https://www.linkedin.com/in/raison-varner-9436663/

Senior Sound Designer, Composer & Music Director - Borderlands 3
Senior Sound Designer & Composer - Battleborn
Senior Sound Designer - Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Audio Lead - Borderlands 2
Audio Lead - Aliens: Colonial Marines
Audio Lead - Borderlands

 

[Roguey]

Surely can't be worse than Bell.

 

[vortex]

Too bad he's not Whistles. Pillars 3 music would be Bells and Whistles.

 

[AwesomeButton]

A worthy addition to the Hanging Sepulchers that is Obsidian nowadays.

 

[Sentinel]

Ex-Ubisoft Lead Writer Lucien Soulban joined Obsidian as Lead Narrative Designer for a secret project: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucien-soulban-956695/

If someone told me one of the writers for Dawn of War also wrote on a bunch of nickelodeon/disney cash grabs, I don't think I would have believed them. The same guy who wrote on a Drake and Josh game wrote for Dawn of War and Winter Assault. Still having trouble believing that.

Dawn of War had 4 writers. This guy, Jay Wilson (of Diablo 3 fame), Joshua Mosqueira (Blizzard, Reaper of Souls, Company of Heroes lead designer), and Raphael van Liero, who also wrote Warhammer 40k: Space Marine.

 

[Infinitron]

Josh Sawyer had a chat with his friend from Austria today:

Now on YouTube:

 

[Tom Selleck]

Pirker? I'd like to

 

[Atlantico]

Talent from Ubisoft and Gearbox coming to Obsidian? That Obsidian.

Feargus Urquhart's janky little outfit. That Obsidian?

The ragtag underdog shop that made Josh Sawyer, the webmaster at Black Isle, a lead game director and narrative designer? That Obsidian.

Well, I'll be. They made it to the big leagues.

Thanks Microsoft.

 

[Duraframe300]

One of the designers of The Old Republic has joined Obsidian as a senior systems designer

https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmithdesigner/

 

[Ninjerk]

One of the designers of The Old Republic has joined Obsidian as a senior systems designer

https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmithdesigner/

With Mythic for 7 years before that.

 

[toro]

https://archive.fo/dSlr6

-Obsidian's XGS transition is apparently going amazingly. Obsidian's unannounced RPG is shaping up great and they're confident it's going to bring the house down when announced.
-It originally wasn't going to be announced this year, but that plan has since changed.
-Things are going so well on that game that Microsoft is fast-tracking The Outer Worlds 2 and they're adding a ton of people to that team, although that plan has been delayed a bit because of the pandemic.
-I've heard the long-term goal is two AAA teams for TOW and this new franchise (I've been told it's not Pillars of Eternity).
-There's also one unannounced smaller project and Grounded.
-There's some question if those smaller projects will continue if Obsidian goes "full fat" with two AAA RPG teams.
-Obviously, Grounded will still come out and get finished, but it's unclear if they'll do more small projects or those teams will get folded into the AAA teams.

 

[Roguey]

Bioware Jr will be the Bioware they wanted to be if Microsoft kills their small projects in favor of big budget games.