The Outer Worlds 2 - the Earth Directorate strikes back - coming 2025

[Quillon]

Interesting that Obsidian seems to adopt the practice of announcing games really early. First Avowed, not this. It's not even clear which game is coming first (although right now I'd guess TOW2).

Why? Isn't most of the studio assigned to Awoved and they're just starting TOW2?

TOW 2 gets to benefit from all the work they've already done for TOW. On top of that, Avowed is allegedly in or climbing out of a Parker production hell.

yeah but these are supposed to be MS-powered AAA games this time, I don't think they'll be able to make the games simultaneously with half or less of about 225 devs they have so I think they'll have to focus on one until it releases and that would be Awoved since they announced it earlier

 

[Roguey]

yeah but these are supposed to be MS-powered AAA games this time, I don't think they'll be able to make the games simultaneously with half or less of about 225 devs they have so I think they'll have to focus on one until it releases and that would be Awoved since they announced it earlier

They can always outsource. TOW DLC had subquests farmed out to Black Shamrock, the infamous devs behind the now-disappeared Paranoia RPG.

 

[Jenkem]

TOW2 has a chance at being better than TOW, I think. MS certainly has more money and resources than Private Division did, so perhaps they won't have to cut corners and can do what they want. Especially since it is a new star system and new characters, so there's nothing to tie them down in that regards they can do whatever they want. let's hope they choose incline rather than decline..

 

[Wunderbar]

Let's be real, it'll be another zany rick and morty tripe with "capitalism is baaed!" plot, just with a bigger budget.

 

[Derringer]

Imagine meeting someone like that. Some autist who thought this trailer had any sense of humor. Is this the Californian sense of humor or what? Because I have met many Americans and they had great sense of humor, so it cannot be an American thing.

californian brain parasite

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-...-in-a-slug-hosts-response-to-a-parasite-29969

 

[Jenkem]

Except the game wasn't even really like that. Everything was just sort of bland and played everything way too safe.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

capitalism bad, all it did was fund space travel and let me explore a distant galaxy

 

[Flou]

They can always outsource. TOW DLC had subquests farmed out to Black Shamrock, the infamous devs behind the now-disappeared Paranoia RPG.

And they will outsource. Seems like that is the trend in game development. TOW2 won't come out before Avowed, so they should be able to throw a lot of "bodies" at TOW2 at some point of the development.

 

[Quillon]

MS certainly has more money and resources

most things they can improve with a bigger bugget but the biggest issue with tow(talked about this before) is the setting - how people behave doesn't make sense imo; like reciting company slogans to each other in a company's own town where everyone's already working for that company. I don't know if they can see the issue as I do to try and fix it somehow

+ neverknowsbest's critique video

 

[Flou]

Megan Starks and Nitai Poddar are at least writing for the game and guess what. Badler is the Game Director

 

[rusty_shackleford]

The setting is ruined, the only way to fix it is to scrap it and start over.
They pigeonholed themselves into a corny bad humor setting and don't have the quality writers needed to actually write good comedy. There's a reason there's so few games -- RPGs especially so -- where the main narrative theme is comedic.
Anytime the game tried to be serious it was just terrible and contrasted heavily with the cartoonistic ramshackle world they hobbled together.

 

[Axeman]

The Outer Worlds 2: now with even more manly looking women!

DIE CIS INCEL!!!

 

[SpaceWizardz]

MS certainly has more money and resources than Private Division did, so perhaps they won't have to cut corners and can do what they want.

It doesn't matter how much time and money they're given, the Randylands + BethFallout blend is crap.
Larger levels and better weapon variety won't fix an uninspired setting.

 

[Jenkem]

I don't get the complaints about the "setting" being a sticking point when they've said that it takes place in a different star system with a different crew.

 

[TheSoul]

There's a sucker born every minute. Bioware and Blizzard are back in people's good graces for doing the bare minimum, and people still get excited for trailers that don't tell us anything about the game.

I don't expect much out of this. Even if microsoft is pumping money, Obsidian's talent just isn't there anymore.

 

[Atchodas]

More crap made by Obshitian

 

[Infinitron]

I don't get the complaints about the "setting" being a sticking point when they've said that it takes place in a different star system with a different crew.

Corporations are powerful throughout all human civilization in the TOW setting, but one thing worth noting is that the intro cinematic for TOW1 specifies that Halcyon is "the only colony on the edge of the frontier owned and operated by corporations". It'll be interesting to see if they stick to that by having a larger representation for some sort of civilian authority in the new star system (not just a pathetic "Earth Minister" who is a hostage in his own home).

 

[SpaceWizardz]

I don't get the complaints about the "setting" being a sticking point when they've said that it takes place in a different star system with a different crew.

The issue is with tone, themes, motifs, and established lore, not which planet they're on.
Trailer has the Spacer's Choice logo and the protagonist in their The Hope jumpsuit, it's not a huge leap to assume we'll be seeing more of the same.

 

[Zarniwoop]

The target audience loves it

It's gonna be a heckin smash hit gosh darn it!

 

[Shrimp]

The target audience loves it

It's gonna be a heckin smash hit gosh darn it!

The first game has apparently sold 3 million copies as of May 2021 (source) so I wouldn't be surprised if they at the bare minimum will make their investment back.
I guess it comes down to how much they're willing to advertise the game. Both Deadfire and Tyranny weren't considered to be successful releases, and when I look at other game forums I've seen a lot of people say they never even knew those games had released in the first place but otherwise would've been interested in them.
With that being said, if the trailer they showed at E3 was meant to convince me that this was going to be a game I'd want to purchase it had the exact opposite effect, but judging by the reactions in the attached image it seems like plenty of other people like it.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

The target audience loves it

It's gonna be a heckin smash hit gosh darn it!

 

[Bad Sector]

Is it too early for "Outer Worlds is actually a great RPG, especially if we compare it to a sequel" thread?

TOW was far from great but it wasn't bad, it was just bland and worse in every way compared to New Vegas. If they keep that trajectory chances are TOW2 will indeed be worse.

What Boyarsky and Cain actually did except the concept?

Wasn't the game's concept already decided when they joined Obsidian? I vaguely remember them saying something like this in an interview at some point.

There's a reason there's so few games -- RPGs especially so -- where the main narrative theme is comedic.

Comedy is much harder to become popular because everyone has a difference sense of humor whereas there is an almost universal understanding of horror, drama, etc.

 

[Shrimp]

The target audience loves it

It's gonna be a heckin smash hit gosh darn it!

Meanwhile the trailer uploaded by IGN has 355K views while the IGN Starfield video only has 205K.
Of course that's still significantly less total views if you combine the view counts on all the uploads from all channels, but let's not pretend it's going to be some tiny <1000 sales game.

 

[SpaceWizardz]

but judging by the reactions in the attached image it seems like plenty of other people like it.

Read those comments, they just like the perceived dunks on competitors.
When it comes to clowning on Bethesda Obsidian is considered their champion, when it comes to the finished product you can't throw a rock without hitting a Youtube video essay guy calling it mediocre.

 

[Duraframe300]

Megan Starks and Nitai Poddar are at least writing for the game and guess what. Badler is the Game Director

.......

Minimalist hope rising. Dollarhyde and Patel are also on other projects. (though I don't know for how long Dollarhyde will be kept away).