Obsidian Entertainment - Josh Sawyer Taking a Break

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@PCGamesN Josh Sawyer of Obsidian Entertainment is taking a break from game directing for awhile after necessary patching of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire has been completed. You can read his reasons at his blog here.

Sawyer revealed the news on his website, in response to a fan asking if the rumour was true about him stepping down due to burnout. He confirmed that he will be stepping away from directing games, and will not be helming any expansions for Deadfire. “I’m now in my 19th year in the industry and I’ve been working on Pillars I & II for about 6 years,” he says. “I’m going to be on Deadfire (not the DLCs) until we’re done patching and improving it, but after that I’m taking a break from directing for a while.”

[...]
Thanks Farflame!

More information.
 
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Nothing new here everyone, or a reason to panic.:biggrin:

Just watch his Reboot Develop 2018 presentation where he talks about his career.


Basically the man is tired and burnt out over crunch time in the industry.
 
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And even after that selfimposed crunch he didn't manage to reach stellar nor cult status like, dunno, Kojima? Okay, codex excluded, they're always excited over Sawyer's projects.

He should retire completely.
 
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I wish him good luck in his future endeavours. Not really surprising that he wants to take a break and change focus after working on the same stuff for all those years.
 
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Yeah, fair play to the bloke. I'm sure it's been hard work, and he's done his best. There's virtually no chance of pleasing the whole RPG community.
 
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he didn't manage to reach stellar nor cult status like, dunno, Kojima? Okay, codex excluded, they're always excited over Sawyer's projects.

What? I thought that Codexians mostly hate him because of his negative remarks about Baldurs Gate. Or because of his brute mages who can boost their magic skills in a gym. Or because he recently said he would like to "innovate CRPGs" and end up with mainstream AAA design. Etc.

Or do you mean they are excited about him because they could hate his new project?

He should retire completely.

You should be his doctor. :cool:
 
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I think he should spend the time inking the few areas on his body that doesn't have any ;)
 
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No big surprises indeed. Probably could see him walking out after Deadfire windsdown.
 
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What? I thought that Codexians mostly hate him
Since when? I got impression they adore him. Maybe they were just trolling over here though…
You should be his doctor. :cool:
That is not a good idea. As antistress measure first I'd stuff him up to change that starving2death look, but it would probably go too extreme so he'd end up with fat bottom in a month. :(
Not saying that's bad to be honest, it's just, well, not the best "solution".
 
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It's too bad there's still no serious effort to actually stop "burn out" (aka 100 hour weeks for 40 hours salary) through legislation. People working for free means governments cheated of payroll taxes, you'd think that would be enough for them to step in.
 
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Hopefully the general outline for Deadfire DLC is already planned out and won't be "phoned in" by the next project lead(s).
 
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Since when? I got impression they adore him. Maybe they were just trolling over here though…

Maybe. But as HiddenX pointed out they like much more Chris Avellone.
Also do you want to say Codexians dont care about those things I wrote in my previous comment (or more simiar issues)? Do they only defend "deep RPG mechanics" in very selected cases?
 
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What they do is bash everything for shits and giggles, and then buy it anyway.
 
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Good for him. Job burnout is a horrible drag on your life. Stepping away for a while lets you rediscover what you enjoy and gain a fresh perspective.
 
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That is really too harsh. While his systems are not exactly perfect he has been willing to listen and evolve.
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I do think there is a fundamental flaw in his reasoning - for a single player game - a bit of not perfect balance can be a lot of fun :)


And even after that selfimposed crunch he didn't manage to reach stellar nor cult status like, dunno, Kojima? Okay, codex excluded, they're always excited over Sawyer's projects.

He should retire completely.
 
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It is not the hours that cause burnout in many cases - though as you get older and your life (read family) changes; it has an issue. But also politics and overly harsh reactions can have an impact.

It's too bad there's still no serious effort to actually stop "burn out" (aka 100 hour weeks for 40 hours salary) through legislation. People working for free means governments cheated of payroll taxes, you'd think that would be enough for them to step in.
 
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