Obsidian Entertainment - Keeping the Lights On
- Thread starter Silver
- Start date
Ok, this makes at least a little bit sense. I was always thinking "WTF" when I heard of Armored Warfare.
Still, I think Obsidian is its own biggest obstacle.
Still, I think Obsidian is its own biggest obstacle.
The biggest thing for me is the over-stretching themselves. NWN2 is the classic example where you have all these classes and feats and crafting etc but unfortunately the game content can't match the choices in character creation. You are funnelled from pillar to post (forced companion choices, linear gameplay) while playing a poor implementation of rtwp with bad camera controls, admidst a buggy overall launch experience; which they eventually patched out.
This pattern seems to repeat itself in many of their subsequent games. Far too many in fact. For my money the lack of quality control and scope creep is why no publisher wants to buy them. They are lucky to have an audience that was desperate for new games to play. Luckily for us there is much more competition now and Obsidian are showing signs of beginning to learn from their mistakes.
This pattern seems to repeat itself in many of their subsequent games. Far too many in fact. For my money the lack of quality control and scope creep is why no publisher wants to buy them. They are lucky to have an audience that was desperate for new games to play. Luckily for us there is much more competition now and Obsidian are showing signs of beginning to learn from their mistakes.
R
RPGFool
Guest
The revelation that grabbed the commenters at Eurogamer was this:
Some commenters thought a disclaimer at the end of the article probably identified the above referenced unidentified publisher:
Guess we'll learn more about the project and publisher at some point…
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"There's a new project," Urquhart says cagily. "Yes" it has a publisher but he won't tell me who it is, nor if Obsidian has worked with the publisher before. "That's too easy!" he says. Then after careful consideration he continues: "We're making a big RPG - and it's not Fallout!" Whether or not it's a new IP we'll apparently see.
Some commenters thought a disclaimer at the end of the article probably identified the above referenced unidentified publisher:
"Disclaimer: Travel and accommodation for this trip was provided by Paradox Interactive.
Guess we'll learn more about the project and publisher at some point…
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Their games are from perfect and usually buggy on release. Still when I look at Neverwinter Nights 2 (and expansions), Alpha Protocol, Fallout:New Vegas, Dungeon Siege 3, Pillars of Eternity (and expansion) and Tyranny, and try to compare those games to any other developer in the same timespan, I find it hard to find anyone else who has produced a body of work that I like as well. I think I enjoyed playing all of the games above, even Dungeon Siege. There is also a huge variety from hack & slay to party based r/twp games. I know they're not as popular around here as Larian (who also has an impressive body of work, though all their games pretty much belong to the same universe) and CD Project Red (Who up until this point have made 3 Witcher games and an online card game), but I for one am very thankful for their continued existence.
I really liked alpha protocol and was one of the few that thought Dungeon Siege 3 was under-rated but I also think square eq hit a home run with rise of the tomb raider. So what can I say ?
R
RPGFool
Guest
I tend to agree with Silver as to Obsidian's shortcomings. In my mind Obsidian is the way they are because of their Black Isle history -- and Black Isle's inability to remain solvent.
It's a two edged sword. Obsidian is very focused on getting their games out the door ASAP and thereby being able to maintain a profitable enterprise -- but the games typically go out the door a bit too soon. Hence Obsidian's (i) survival as a game developer, and (ii) their reputation for buggy releases.
Things were looking to turn around quality wise with FNV, as I saw it. But the jury is apparently still out on that one. Hope their new big RPG makes it to release in a state of high quality.
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It's a two edged sword. Obsidian is very focused on getting their games out the door ASAP and thereby being able to maintain a profitable enterprise -- but the games typically go out the door a bit too soon. Hence Obsidian's (i) survival as a game developer, and (ii) their reputation for buggy releases.
Things were looking to turn around quality wise with FNV, as I saw it. But the jury is apparently still out on that one. Hope their new big RPG makes it to release in a state of high quality.
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ChaosTheory
Virtual Reality Hero
Really glad to hear their new project is another RPG, but please God not another South Park... Also glad he thwarted any Fallout speculation, early.
I'll predict it's either Baldur's Gate 3 or Neverwinter Nights 3. Yep. I said it.
I'll predict it's either Baldur's Gate 3 or Neverwinter Nights 3. Yep. I said it.
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But if a publisher bought them, they could fix the quality control issue with ease, by simply giving them enough money to do it properly.
Anyway, not sure it's fair to say no publisher wants to buy Obsidian…would we even know? I would hope Obsidian doesn't want to sell, even if someone did want to buy them. A big publisher like EA or Activision isn't going to let them keep making the same kind of games they're making now.
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Agreed. I think they would be swallowed whole by a publisher and lose their identity.
As to the question of would publishers want to buy them? I think some have possibly shown some interest but the deal has not been good enough for Feargus to bite and that speaks volumes.
Obsidian always has a scattergun feature approach it seems and the overall package suffers. A publishers laser focus would force this to change but we would not care about the games they produce anymore.
Thats exactly the problem through isn't it. There has been no-one else making these sorts of games to a reasonable level of quality until recently. Obsidian were lucky in a way and yeah I am glad they continue to exist but they will find the competitive environment much more demanding for these types of games going forward.
My subjective experience of Obsidian games for comparison.
-NWN2 bad game, good toolset.
-NWN2 expansions are good games especially Mask of the Betrayer
-Alpha Protocol is a very flawed game which is only saved somewhat by Chris Avellones writing. The rest is terribad.
-Fallout: New Vegas is their one quality game that is only hamstrung somewhat by Bethesdas engine.
-Kotor 2: An unfinished game with a decent engine behind it. Good writing, poor level design. A typical Obsidian game.
-Dungeon Siege 3 - I feel sorry for the fanbase of 1 & 2. The series is certainly dead now.
-Pillars of Eternity & Expansion - Impressive commitment to patching aside the game is just average to me and borderline frustrating. Not bad but not very good either. Kind of bland.
-Tyranny - The game just seems meh to me. Doesn't do enough in most areas and feels like a b effort.
R
RPGFool
Guest
Feargus and partner Chris Parker are definitely ready to sell for the right price and terms. From the subject Eurogamer article:
As an independent, it's also been harder for Obsidian to get extensions than it generally is for internal studios at publishers. "We sign a contract and we must hit that number and it is the end of the earth if we [don't]," says Urquhart. "We've had to sign away royalties, we've had to sign away ownership of IPs…" He pauses again. "Whereas internal studios, it's just another month - they're already paying the people, it's already in the budget these people are going to be paid."
That said, Obsidian has had offers of acquisition from publishers - "a lot", according to Urquhart. "It's not like we're 'indie for life'," he says, "not like we bleed indie blood. We were an internal studio [Black Isle] for a publisher for a long time and we were successful."
"If the right opportunity came up," adds Parker, "it's certainly something that we would do."
It would certainly be an easier life with malleable deadlines and someone else absorbing responsibility for people's livelihoods. Plus, Urquhart wouldn't have to go out on the road all the time and do "his little horse and pony show" as Chris Parker so brilliantly puts it. But the deals have never been right. "We just didn't think the offers were commensurate to what we're worth and then what we would get to do," Urquhart says.
Urquhart is, if nothing else, a salesman. "A lot" of buyers are interested. Act now, make the right offer, and get a deal before its too late.
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As an independent, it's also been harder for Obsidian to get extensions than it generally is for internal studios at publishers. "We sign a contract and we must hit that number and it is the end of the earth if we [don't]," says Urquhart. "We've had to sign away royalties, we've had to sign away ownership of IPs…" He pauses again. "Whereas internal studios, it's just another month - they're already paying the people, it's already in the budget these people are going to be paid."
That said, Obsidian has had offers of acquisition from publishers - "a lot", according to Urquhart. "It's not like we're 'indie for life'," he says, "not like we bleed indie blood. We were an internal studio [Black Isle] for a publisher for a long time and we were successful."
"If the right opportunity came up," adds Parker, "it's certainly something that we would do."
It would certainly be an easier life with malleable deadlines and someone else absorbing responsibility for people's livelihoods. Plus, Urquhart wouldn't have to go out on the road all the time and do "his little horse and pony show" as Chris Parker so brilliantly puts it. But the deals have never been right. "We just didn't think the offers were commensurate to what we're worth and then what we would get to do," Urquhart says.
Urquhart is, if nothing else, a salesman. "A lot" of buyers are interested. Act now, make the right offer, and get a deal before its too late.
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It's too bad Obsidian seems so married to RTwP combat for their CRPGs. Supposedly Josh Sawyer is more of a fan of turn-based, so I wish they'd let him make one.
I would be interested in a NWN3. Or maybe if the put Tim Cain & Leonard Boyarsky in charge of some Troika revival game. Beyond that I don't think I care what Obsidian does. Mask of the Betrayer was their last release that I actually enjoyed / finished.
I would be interested in a NWN3. Or maybe if the put Tim Cain & Leonard Boyarsky in charge of some Troika revival game. Beyond that I don't think I care what Obsidian does. Mask of the Betrayer was their last release that I actually enjoyed / finished.
D
Deleted User
Guest
Maybe you just don't like RPGs, lol. That's like an all-star list of them.
lol indeed. Don't you like every rpg ever made?
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Deleted User
Guest
Great question. To me, there is none. A number is just one person's subjective "analysis" that is not based on anything but their own idea of what a score means to them.
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