Company News RPGPOCALYPSE: Obsidian and inXile have been acquired by Microsoft

[Ninja Destroyer]

Pillars of Eternity : Dark Alliance with Josh Sawyer as a lead designer coming up.

 

[Tommy Gun]

New Choplifter trailer already out!


Timestamp .12

 

[Darkzone]

Microsoft has made an another bad deal, like the thing with Nokia and the Windows Phone. And either they are attracted by decline or Wasteland 4 FP ARPG incoming.

 

[Thonius]

Poor Sawyer he tried his best and just followed orders...
Also it's a good time to hoist a black flags! They owe me anyway for Kickstarter.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

It's going to be great.

I'm not an Xbox guy, though. So I hope everything Obsidian make will also be released on PC.

 

[Licaon_Kter]

Eagerly anticiapting free to play "Wasteland: The card game" windows-mobile exclusive.

WindowsMobile is dead, at least you're not getting the Diablo sellout right?

Oh wa- https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/3/17933644/microsoft-android-apps-windows-10-app-mirroring-report

 

[RegionalHobo]

it was that or play the do or die game with the next release for both companies.

i think it was for the better. now they'll have at least some chances to create one last gem before the inevitable end

 

[Tel Prydain]

It all depends on whether Microsoft gaming division has dropped the "gears halo if it's not shooter we don't like it" mantra of old, it seems that this is the case.

They're all about niche games for gamepass now. They want AA or B games that can attract specific communities... like Cuphead, State of Decay or Ori.

Could be a good move for MS, they buy two studios on the cheap who have some name power in the RPG space, and then slowy streamline it into their RPG divsion (which then will make action rpgs after some time, and then whatever is current, there's no money in classical RPGs)

A - PoE1, Torment, Wasteland 2, Original Sin 1/2 are all on Xbox... so what a 'console' RPG even is, is changing.
B - They want a range of genres to trick lure people into using gamepass, so they're not going to want to create one kind of game

My guess: Obsidian have worked on bigger projects like FO:NV, Dungeon Siege, South Park, Alpha Protocol, etc... so they'll get upscaled to produce AA console-style RPGs like Bethesda or Bioware. inXile will become the niche dev for isometric RPGs. I wouldn't even be surprised if long-term MS tried to move PoE over to inXile get Obsidion focused on whatever Mass Effect wannabe MS have them making.

After so much talk about Kickstarter being their sole intended model, now i wonder if Fargo intended that from the start.

I wouldn't have thought so... I think that it's pretty clear they were in big trouble.

I The thing is - Microsoft was used to a world where their own studios make a game and it sells 5 millions plus, but it's not the case anymore.

I mean... that's not the case now. Now they're apparently happy with a train wreak like 'State of Decay'. They just want all genres covered to help sell gamepass.

Does this mean that Pillars will no longer be on steam?

If Minecraft and Ninja Theory are any guide, the older stuff will still be available where it is now, news stuff will focus on Windows Store and Gamepass.

 

[Black]

Tim and Leo making a Battletech RPG now.

 

[The_Mask]

Minesweeper?

Sawyer would find a way to bring balance to it.

 

[Daemongar]

Haven't logged in all weekend and I miss this... Well, at the end of the day, well, they'll all be fired or dissolved, but it means 2-3 years of big money. Let's hope for the best...

 

[Prime Junta]

After sleeping on this shocking news, I do have to admit to a little bit of wistfulness at this news.

After all these years I have developed ... emotions ... about Obsidianites, current and former. There is something to that family metaphor. Feargus is kind of like that one uncle that should under no circumstances be left alone with children. MCA is the dazzlingly exciting, interesting cousin who just keeps getting better when he gets drunker, until somebody has to carry him off, and everybody's really worried about when he's not there. Then there are the gay uncles, the progressive aunts, the dry pedantic cousin who keeps droning on about his esoteric hobbies... yeah, it will be a bit sad to see that colourful cast of characters ground down into a uniform corporate paste, unless they've escaped it already.

Still it was a good ride while it lasted, bumps and all. But it is time for a new leaf to be turned in the annals of RPGs, and this is as good a way as any to turn it.

 

[Bohr]

Don't worry, if everything goes to shit, the employees will quit and create new AA-studios.

Should make for interesting times in the news forum, at least

RPG Codex 2020: RPGPROLAPSE: Former Obsidian and inXile devs escape their dark fate

 

[Ruzen]

Am I tripping or I always see Carrie Patel with different hair color?

 

[Diggfinger]

Am I tripping or I always see Carrie Patel with different hair color?

Don't be shy, tell her how you feel

Spoiler

 

[Quantomas]

M$ also acquired a stake in Fig.co, with both Fargo and Urquhart on the advisory board.

 

[Ruzen]

What I think about all this that Microsoft is not planning any new console for about 5-7 years. So, let me share my two cents here. They already announced Age of Empires series getting a full remake (even the HD version of Age of Empires 2 is getting a remake) and they making the 4th game with "partnering" Relic. So that means they are interested in making another PC game: Company of Heroes 3. Relic already had plans for releasing CoH3 around 2020ish and even asked for a new office building from Sega...anyways I'm getting side stacked. See to me they are partnering all those PC first companies. Doesn't mean that Obsidian can't make games for consoles but you just won't try to gather all these "Hardcore PC" studios just to prepare your new console.

About the purchase. I believe it was good for the best. Inxile needed a publisher to fire-up the burned out crew. Obsidian was desperately seeking a sugar daddy for some time and they were heading the direction of doing drugs, drinks and one night stands. Just like the previous time they did! They think they are the gods and lived a rock-n-roll lifestyle for a short period of time and they spent all their resources and woke up in an alley next to a dumpster with a big hangover. Maybe this time Microsoft can restrain this spoiled child and turn into a man.

 

[Quillon]

MS has good relationship with SEGA then? Which means without any doubt, 100%, AP2 confirmed!

Yes.

 

[a Goat]

What I think about all this that Microsoft is not planning any new console for about 5-7 years.

You seem to fail to realise what "new console" means these days. There won't be any "new" console as they're now using slightly modified AMD x86-64 architecture, therefore making them quasi-PC's. What you will see however are gradual upgrades and new models, with the oldest models losing support progressively as the new ones are being adopted(with backwards compatibility being there).

 

[Chippy]

Shhhh...nobody tell Microsoft that their usual buisness plan of buying up developers and running them into the ground while trying to profit from their last drops of blood, sweat, and fan loyalty won't really work in Obsidian's case because half the community hated POE. I'd say the same about InXIle, but I still haven't got around to playing their last few games...which I backed.

I might get around to it once I'm done with Kingmaker.

 

[J_C]

Shhhh...nobody tell Microsoft that their usual buisness plan of buying up developers and running them into the ground while trying to profit from their last drops of blood, sweat, and fan loyalty won't really work in Obsidian's case because half the community hated POE.

Another poor soul who thinks that Obsidian's community only consists of the Codex. Sssshhh...the game sold a million and people liked it.

 

[a Goat]

Shhhh...nobody tell Microsoft that their usual buisness plan of buying up developers and running them into the ground while trying to profit from their last drops of blood, sweat, and fan loyalty won't really work in Obsidian's case because half the community hated POE.

Another poor soul who thinks that Obsidian's community only consists of the Codex. Sssshhh...the game sold a million and people liked it.

The "game" released 3 years ago

 

[J_C]

Shhhh...nobody tell Microsoft that their usual buisness plan of buying up developers and running them into the ground while trying to profit from their last drops of blood, sweat, and fan loyalty won't really work in Obsidian's case because half the community hated POE.

Another poor soul who thinks that Obsidian's community only consists of the Codex. Sssshhh...the game sold a million and people liked it.

The "game" released 3 years ago

And? And why put the word game into quatiton marks?

 

[Bohr]

 

[Grauken]

Swen showing he has a darker side, happy to get rid of competition