Hearing the rumour last month that MS intended to acquire Obsidian was pretty interesting news, but I was a bit hesitant to celebrate since MS's intent was a bit unclear. And even with MS behind...
Hearing the rumour last month that MS intended to acquire Obsidian was pretty interesting news, but I was a bit hesitant to celebrate since MS's intent was a bit unclear. And even with MS behind them the odds of us actually seeing another Fallout game from Obsidian was pretty slim since Zenimax/Bethesda is probably pretty unlikely to license their IP when the Fallout 76 release is on the horizon. But now that MS has acquired inXile too, Obsidian can just make 3D Wasteland game instead!
Wasteland may not have the same fun/zany lore as Fallout (no 50s nostalgia, Vault-Tec, intelligent ghouls/super-mutants, etc) but hopefully Obsidian can expand upon the setting and do something unique/interesting with it, similar to what they did with New Vegas.
I too desperately hope that MS still allows Obsidian to keep pumping out games based on their own original IPs and continue to create more of them. I have 130 hours played in Pillars of Eternity,...
I too desperately hope that MS still allows Obsidian to keep pumping out games based on their own original IPs and continue to create more of them. I have 130 hours played in Pillars of Eternity, 40 in Tyranny, thoroughly enjoyed both and am really looking forward to picking up Pillars 2 once the price drops a bit. So I agree it would be a tremendous shame if MS prevented Obsidian from continuing to make awesome new 2.5D CRPGs like that, however if we're dreaming about potential things to come, ¿Porque no los dos?
It can't be a coincidence that MS acquired both Brian Fargo's inXile, that owns the rights to the game series that Fallout was originally "inspired by", and Obsidian, creator of arguably the best 3D Fallout game, at the exact same time. Just based on the timing alone I have absolutely no doubt that we will see a Wasteland based Obsidian game now... and frankly that excites me a great deal since New Vegas is easily my favorite of the 3D Fallout games and IMO Bethesda has seriously lost its way with the franchise. Fallout 4 was an excellent shooter but absolutely terrible as a Fallout RPG, and Fallout 76 is a complete dumpster fire.
I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, it can be empowering for a studio to have a parent with deep pockets. If the acquisition allows Obsidian access to capital to develop games that...
I have mixed feelings about this one.
On one hand, it can be empowering for a studio to have a parent with deep pockets. If the acquisition allows Obsidian access to capital to develop games that truly manifest their take on games, I'm thrilled to see what comes of it.
On the other hand, if MS takes the helm and treats Obsidian as another internal group to work on games built around a business goal (as opposed to games made on their own merits), the folks at Obsidian may end up basically being an in-source studio for ports, expansions, etc. It'd be a waste of good talent and a studio that has proven they can ship original, well-received games.
From what I've heard, Microsoft is putting a lot of focus on content in order to course correct Xbox as a gaming platform. It's become as much media center as gaming platform, so at the least, I hope they're fleshing out the game library.
I haven't heard great things about how MS treats studios post-acquisition, but I sincerely hope this move is based on a new strategy, and that we can look forward to great games that Obsidian and InExile can come up with when empowered with a massive influx of resources. Their game pedigrees would hint at games I would really enjoy.
To be honest, I'm dreading this. Studios that get bought by Microsoft always seem to lose their drive to make their games creative. Lionhead essentially turned into "Fable Studios" after Microsoft...
To be honest, I'm dreading this. Studios that get bought by Microsoft always seem to lose their drive to make their games creative. Lionhead essentially turned into "Fable Studios" after Microsoft bought them.
While I regretfully admit not buying more of their more recent games due to lack of time, it's still painful for this to happen. Obsidian and InXile were basically the only independant AAA RPG studios left in the US.
Lionhead was going to go out of business had MS not purchased them and by all accounts MS kept a hands off approach after the acquisition other than with marketing decisions. Peter Monlyneux may...
Lionhead essentially turned into "Fable Studios" after Microsoft bought them.
Lionhead was going to go out of business had MS not purchased them and by all accounts MS kept a hands off approach after the acquisition other than with marketing decisions. Peter Monlyneux may have put out amazing games in the 90s but his ego is absolutely massive and all he is good for these days is over-hyping massively disappointing games, just like he did with every Fable and every game he developed since leaving MS and founding 22Cans.
Obsidian and InXile were basically the only independant AAA RPG studios left in the US.
Uhm... Obsidian wouldn't really be considered AAA these days and inXile never was. I also beg to differ about them being the only independent RPG makers left in the US. Crate Entertainment (Grim Dawn), Stoic Studio (Banner Saga), Supergiant Games (Bastion), Heart Machine (Hyperlight Drifter), the list goes on.
Hearing the rumour last month that MS intended to acquire Obsidian was pretty interesting news, but I was a bit hesitant to celebrate since MS's intent was a bit unclear. And even with MS behind them the odds of us actually seeing another Fallout game from Obsidian was pretty slim since Zenimax/Bethesda is probably pretty unlikely to license their IP when the Fallout 76 release is on the horizon. But now that MS has acquired inXile too, Obsidian can just make 3D Wasteland game instead!
Wasteland may not have the same fun/zany lore as Fallout (no 50s nostalgia, Vault-Tec, intelligent ghouls/super-mutants, etc) but hopefully Obsidian can expand upon the setting and do something unique/interesting with it, similar to what they did with New Vegas.
I too desperately hope that MS still allows Obsidian to keep pumping out games based on their own original IPs and continue to create more of them. I have 130 hours played in Pillars of Eternity, 40 in Tyranny, thoroughly enjoyed both and am really looking forward to picking up Pillars 2 once the price drops a bit. So I agree it would be a tremendous shame if MS prevented Obsidian from continuing to make awesome new 2.5D CRPGs like that, however if we're dreaming about potential things to come, ¿Porque no los dos?
It can't be a coincidence that MS acquired both Brian Fargo's inXile, that owns the rights to the game series that Fallout was originally "inspired by", and Obsidian, creator of arguably the best 3D Fallout game, at the exact same time. Just based on the timing alone I have absolutely no doubt that we will see a Wasteland based Obsidian game now... and frankly that excites me a great deal since New Vegas is easily my favorite of the 3D Fallout games and IMO Bethesda has seriously lost its way with the franchise. Fallout 4 was an excellent shooter but absolutely terrible as a Fallout RPG, and Fallout 76 is a complete dumpster fire.
I have mixed feelings about this one.
On one hand, it can be empowering for a studio to have a parent with deep pockets. If the acquisition allows Obsidian access to capital to develop games that truly manifest their take on games, I'm thrilled to see what comes of it.
On the other hand, if MS takes the helm and treats Obsidian as another internal group to work on games built around a business goal (as opposed to games made on their own merits), the folks at Obsidian may end up basically being an in-source studio for ports, expansions, etc. It'd be a waste of good talent and a studio that has proven they can ship original, well-received games.
From what I've heard, Microsoft is putting a lot of focus on content in order to course correct Xbox as a gaming platform. It's become as much media center as gaming platform, so at the least, I hope they're fleshing out the game library.
I haven't heard great things about how MS treats studios post-acquisition, but I sincerely hope this move is based on a new strategy, and that we can look forward to great games that Obsidian and InExile can come up with when empowered with a massive influx of resources. Their game pedigrees would hint at games I would really enjoy.
To be honest, I'm dreading this. Studios that get bought by Microsoft always seem to lose their drive to make their games creative. Lionhead essentially turned into "Fable Studios" after Microsoft bought them.
While I regretfully admit not buying more of their more recent games due to lack of time, it's still painful for this to happen. Obsidian and InXile were basically the only independant AAA RPG studios left in the US.
Lionhead was going to go out of business had MS not purchased them and by all accounts MS kept a hands off approach after the acquisition other than with marketing decisions. Peter Monlyneux may have put out amazing games in the 90s but his ego is absolutely massive and all he is good for these days is over-hyping massively disappointing games, just like he did with every Fable and every game he developed since leaving MS and founding 22Cans.
Uhm... Obsidian wouldn't really be considered AAA these days and inXile never was. I also beg to differ about them being the only independent RPG makers left in the US. Crate Entertainment (Grim Dawn), Stoic Studio (Banner Saga), Supergiant Games (Bastion), Heart Machine (Hyperlight Drifter), the list goes on.