VideoGamer: Obsidian Entertainment says the Microsoft Acquisition was a Weight Off its Shoulders

[Proven]

'We're not suddenly going to be asked to be a different studio than we have been.'

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Obsidian Entertainment said that its acquisition by Microsoft meant that the developer no longer needs to worry about pitching itself to potential investors and losing what makes it unique.

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'On the studio level, for me personally, one of the nice things is that now that we're part of Microsoft, we're focusing more on what the next games are going to be, rather than, how do we pitch the next games?'

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'That's one of the things that when we were acquired that Microsoft's said to us is like, "We're buying you because we want you to keep making games the way you've been doing, not to change you,"

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More at the link

https://www.videogamer.com/amp/news...t-off-its-shoulders?__twitter_impression=true

Personally when Obsidian was acquired I was really excited. I knew once they were acquired they would finally have the time and budget to fully deliver on the games they make.

It's an exciting prospect to have Obsidian actually get a budget.

 

[TheGhost]

It's great that they can keep making new games but I'm telling you right now I'm probably......going to want an OuterWorlds 2

 

[Deleted member 31817]

I would imagine so. One of the best devs in the industry constantly being rushed or fucked over or having to worry about funding finally basically got a blank check and a permanent home. I'm happy for them even without an xb1

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Yeah I feel Microsoft did a great acquisition. They seem to be in a kick of making right decisions and they lack a solid rpg maker in their library. With stuff from Obsidian plus the rumored new Fable title that'd be great.

 

[Trago]

I look forward to their next AAA game.

 

[Alucardx23]

More at the link

https://www.videogamer.com/amp/news...t-off-its-shoulders?__twitter_impression=true

Personally when Obsidian was acquired I was really excited. I knew once they were acquired they would finally have the time and budget to fully deliver on the games they make.

It's an exciting prospect to have Obsidian actually get a budget.

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Microsoft has come a long way sinse the Rare days.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

I'm really happy for them. One of the best developers in the industry and now they can have a peace of mind when making new games.

 

[Deleted member 56580]

Here's hoping we'll get a Pillars 3

2 is such a goddamn masterpiece in every way

 

[Deleted member 31817]

Here's hoping we'll get a Pillars 3

2 is such a goddamn masterpiece in every way

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Apparently they've still got people working on it. My only fear is that may be the last CRPG we get from them considering even though they do have console ports it's by far a bigger market and easier to control on PC.

 

[Kilgore]

I hope they would have had the amout of resources they have now during the entire the outer worlds development proces

 

[BossAttack]

Well, duh. Feargus was practically begging for someone to buy them a few years back.

 

[christocolus]

Good. Can't wait to hear more about the secret AAA project they've been hiring for.

Well, duh. Feargus was practically begging for someone to buy them a few years back.

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Pls provide a source to "Feargus practically begging to be bought'.

 

[Brown Intruder]

Yeah I that obsidian are going to be putting out some great stuff.

I can see them becoming one of Microsoft's best studios

 

[Outrun]

Good for them. The stability that they have now is a great thing.

 

[Deleted member 56580]

Apparently they've still got people working on it. My only fear is that may be the last CRPG we get from them considering even though they do have console ports it's by far a bigger market and easier to control on PC.

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That's good to read. Given how the game was broken at launch in every sense of the word (performances issues, outrageous bugs and the "consequences" system straight up not working at all), they need Outer Worlds to be like you know, great straight out of the box

 

[Technosteve]

Don't fuck it up.

 

[Badcoo]

Here's to hoping MS can compete on the 1st party level next gen. Also thought it was smart to acquire studios rather than creating new ones.

So hyped for Outer Worlds.

 

[Starlatine]

Pillars is obsidian strongest "own" IP right now and they value it dearly. A Pillars 3 is almost guaranteed to happen and given microsofts presence on pc theres no reason to believe it will be casualized for consoles

 

[PIMPBYBLUD]

I'm secretly waiting for a Alpha Protocol 2. Maybe MS can get the rights to it in the future.

 

[KernelC]

as long as Microsoft doesn't lock them into any franchise like hey usually do to their studios, or asks them to work on Halo spinoffs, we good

 

[Ultimadrago]

I'm not as reverent of Obsidian as some, but hey, it's good they're getting the bills paid.

I hope their output proves of extremely high quality.

 

[Dimple]

Apparently they've still got people working on it. My only fear is that may be the last CRPG we get from them considering even though they do have console ports it's by far a bigger market and easier to control on PC.

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Josh Sawyer has talked about wanting to do a historically themed CRPG, and Fergus has said they have four teams (Outer Worlds, Pillars, and two others starting up) it's quite likely imo we'll get more CRPGs from Obsidian.

 

[Death Penalty]

Really really excited to see Obsidian with a budget.

 

[Sesha]

Without having read any statements from Tim, I imagine Double Fine feels the same. With Psychonauts 2 underway, most of their manpower is probably hands-on deck-for that, and I would think they are at least a bit nervous about how the game would perform, and what they would do in terms of work when their most requested title was finally out. Brutal Legend 2 maybe, but Brutal Legend isn't as beloved as Psychonauts, and Double Fine fans have been mostly focused on asking for Psychonauts 2, before ever thinking of a BL2.

 

[Sulik2]

I'm secretly waiting for a Alpha Protocol 2. Maybe MS can get the rights to it in the future.

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This is probably the thing I most want from the games industry at this point. AP was so good.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Without having read any statements from Tim, I imagine Double Fine feels the same. Sure, they had Psychonauts 2, but I can imagine they were worried how the game would perform, and what they would do in terms of work when their most requested title was finally out. Brutal Legend 2 maybe, but Brutal Legend isn't as beloved as Psychonauts, and Double Fine fans have been mostly focused on asking for Psychonauts 2 before thinking of a BL2.

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Double fine should absolutely be relieved. Their titles had plenty of charm and they consistently put out quality products both in major and digital releases but they aren't quite there in marketability or popularity. For as much as I and critics love psychonauts, it didn't sell like hot cakes.

 

[Kyrios]

Well yeah I can only imagine so. Must be a huge relief for the team financially. Stability is an amazing peace of mind.

 

[Mudo]

TBH it was a huge sigh of relief for me. I adore Pillars of Eternity, and Outer Worlds is a shoe in GOTY candidate, yet I always worried if their next game could be their last like they might be hanging by a thread.

I need all my awesome RPG studios to stay in this world and I trust Microsoft to let them do their thing.

now I can only imagine what a AAA Pillars or Outer Worlds sequel could look like and I can't wait :)

 

[Richietto]

I'm so happy for them. They are some of the best in the industry and now they can just make their S tier RPGs without all that extra baggage. Also their budget is gonna multiply. I have to imagine they'll want to do an Outer Worlds 2 and with Microsoft money backing them it's gonna be big and a reason to own a Scarlett or PC.

 

[gcwy]

as long as Microsoft doesn't lock them into any franchise like hey usually do to their studios, or asks them to work on Halo spinoffs, we good

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You mean like Rare? Oh wait.

 

[Deleted member 21003]

Not surprising. They make good games that don't sell well.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Without having read any statements from Tim, I imagine Double Fine feels the same. With Psychonauts 2 underway, most of their manpower is probably hands-on deck-for that, and I would think they are at least a bit nervous about how the game would perform, and what they would do in terms of work when their most requested title was finally out. Brutal Legend 2 maybe, but Brutal Legend isn't as beloved as Psychonauts, and Double Fine fans have been mostly focused on asking for Psychonauts 2, before ever thinking of a BL2.

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Hopefully they move on after Psychonauts 2. I don't care about Brutal Legend much at all (as much as I liked the concept, MAN was the execution botched in the second half) so I would be fine with that being exclusive to platforms I'll never own.

Psychonauts 3 being exclusively not on my consoles would hurt.

 

[KernelC]

You mean like Rare? Oh wait.

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man, Rare is even more depressing to me than a studio locked into one franchise for life

 

[Deleted member 13645]

I'm really excited to see what Double Fine, Obsidian, Ninja Theory and InXile can do next gen with stability and budgets. InXile specifically has only ever done crowdfunded games with relatively low budgets. There's a ton of talent in those studios and I'm really excited for them to be able to make the games they want to make without having to worry about a bad release tanking the studio.

 

[Tigress]

More at the link

https://www.videogamer.com/amp/news...t-off-its-shoulders?__twitter_impression=true

Personally when Obsidian was acquired I was really excited. I knew once they were acquired they would finally have the time and budget to fully deliver on the games they make.

It's an exciting prospect to have Obsidian actually get a budget.

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I was sad as I prefer PlayStation (or switch, may even prefer switch now) but I know they've been looking to be bought out so I figured it probably saved them. And since I now have a gaming Pc (mostly for vr) I will still have access to their games even if I prefer to play on console.

But my impression of how ms treats first party is either kill them off if they don't succeed quickly or start forcing them to make one game if it gets really popular. I hope your impression is the right one (obsidian because of fallout new Vegas is one of my favorite studios).

 

[Proven]

I was sad as I prefer PlayStation but I know they've been looking to be bought out so I figured it probably saved them. And since I now have a gaming Pc (mostly for vr) I will still have access to their games even if I prefer to play on console.

But my impression of how ms treats first party is either kill them off if they don't succeed quickly or start forcing them to make one game if it gets really popular. I hope your impression is the right one (obsidian because of fallout new Vegas is one of my favorite studios).

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None of their studios are forced to make anything.

343 makes Halo because the lead at 343 went to Phil and said she wanted to make more halo games

The Coalition is incredibly passionate about Gears.

Playground makes Forza games but are rumored to be making a new RPG (Fable probably).

 

[Synth]

Hopefully they move on after Psychonauts 2. I don't care about Brutal Legend much at all (as much as I liked the concept, MAN was the execution botched in the second half) so I would be fine with that being exclusive to platforms I'll never own.

Psychonauts 3 being exclusively not on my consoles would hurt.

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You'd prefer a game series you love to die entirely, than be "exclusive" to something non-PlayStation? And by "exclusive" that would mean still ported to PC, and playable via streaming solutions.

Okay.

 

[Damn Silly]

Feel like that's the case for most of their recent acquisitions.

 

[christocolus]

You'd prefer a game series you love to die entirely, than be "exclusive" to something non-PlayStation? And by "exclusive" that would mean still ported to PC, and playable via streaming solutions.

Okay.

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I thought I was the only one who read it as such. Lol.

 

[Jon of the Wired]

now I can only imagine what a AAA Pillars or Outer Worlds sequel could look like and I can't wait :)

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This job posting might imply that they're spinning up a team to work on a first-peson Pillars game.

 

[Deleted member 13645]

None of their studios are forced to make anything.

343 makes Halo because the lead at 343 went to Phil and said she wanted to make more halo games

The Coalition is incredibly passionate about Gears.

Playground makes Forza games but are rumored to be making a new RPG (Fable probably).

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I honestly used to think Playground and Turn 10 were forced to make Forza until I saw multiple interviews with them on the Giant Bomb couch at E3. Nope, they're not forced, those people are just absurdly passionate about cars. Like, some of the ones they talked to live and breathe cars.

 

[Deleted member 20297]

Hopefully they move on after Psychonauts 2. I don't care about Brutal Legend much at all (as much as I liked the concept, MAN was the execution botched in the second half) so I would be fine with that being exclusive to platforms I'll never own.

Psychonauts 3 being exclusively not on my consoles would hurt.

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I thought exclusive games would be *the* reason to buy a specific console. So I guess it would make sense to make a Psychonauts 3 to make people buy an Xbox (or a PC or subscribe to xCloud).

 

[Starlatine]

None of their studios are forced to make anything.

343 makes Halo because the lead at 343 went to Phil and said she wanted to make more halo games

The Coalition is incredibly passionate about Gears.

Playground makes Forza games but are rumored to be making a new RPG (Fable probably).

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If anything not forcing studios to do anything is why Rare is doing Sea of Thieves and not the banjo threeie everyone screams about

Hopefully they move on after Psychonauts 2. I don't care about Brutal Legend much at all (as much as I liked the concept, MAN was the execution botched in the second half) so I would be fine with that being exclusive to platforms I'll never own.

Psychonauts 3 being exclusively not on my consoles would hurt.

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classic planetsmasher
"if i cant have it then nobody else should"
Thank god Microsoft bought Double Fine and not you then.

 

[Proven]

Hopefully they move on after Psychonauts 2. I don't care about Brutal Legend much at all (as much as I liked the concept, MAN was the execution botched in the second half) so I would be fine with that being exclusive to platforms I'll never own.

Psychonauts 3 being exclusively not on my consoles would hurt.

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This isn't a great state of mind to have.

I honestly used to think Playground and Turn 10 were forced to make Forza until I saw multiple interviews with them on the Giant Bomb couch at E3. Nope, they're not forced, those people are just absurdly passionate about cars. Like, some of the ones they talked to live and breathe cars.

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Yeah, similarly with The Coalition, they really care about Gears. They're not churning out sequels to meet a quota. They love the universe more than the fans do.

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

I bet. Stability is great.

 

[DailyCalmSpirit]

Off topic, but, man, I completely forgot about Videogamer.com

They really had something going for a minute.

 

[Deleted member 45130]

Pillars 1 is one of my favourite Rpgs of recent years. Never got around to the sequel as it didn't look like a continuation and more of a brand new setup.

I'm really happy for Obsidian and hope they do well with MS.

Can't wait for Outer Worlds!

 

[bane833]

Obviously they´re not going to be asked to change right away by Microsoft. That´s going to happen when their games continue to perform below expectations.

 

[Deleted member 13645]

Obviously they´re not going to be asked to change right away by Microsoft. That´s going to happen when their games continue to perform below expectations.

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Why are you assuming games will perform below expectations? How do you measure performance when it's just more content for Game Pass to make it more attractive? Microsoft made some weird purchases if they were looking for studios that make blockbuster games.

 

[Yerffej]

Hopefully they move on after Psychonauts 2. I don't care about Brutal Legend much at all (as much as I liked the concept, MAN was the execution botched in the second half) so I would be fine with that being exclusive to platforms I'll never own.

Psychonauts 3 being exclusively not on my consoles would hurt.

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lol come on