Pillars of Eternity - AMA & Two More Interviews

Obsidian has been busy in the last few days with the latest update about them teaming up with Paradox, They did a few interviews and released a new AMA on the games forum.

So lets get started witht the AMA on the games forum with some of the developers.

What is this partnership about?

Simply put, Paradox is assuming responsibility for the marketing and distribution of Pillars of Eternity. What this means is that Obsidian can now devote all of their time and resources to the development of Pillars of Eternity and make the game the best it can be.

Why Paradox?

Paradox has its roots in PC gaming and is known for publishing and developing some very niche titles. Like you, they’re fans of RPGs from the Infinity Engine days and have been around almost as long. Heck, some of them are even backers! If anyone can appreciate the passion and dedication of this project, it is certainly Paradox.

Will Pillars of Eternity still be released this year?

As communicated previously, we’re confident that Pillars of Eternity will be wrapped up by year’s end. The partnership has no influence over our projected launch date.

Next I have two new interviews with more information. So if you want more information that isn't biased like the RPS interview then read on.

Eurogamer - Paradox and Obsidian: "We both know there's no BS

"What we both know is there's no BS," Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart said.

"A lot of publisher handling is just relationship management. It's asking what's going on, it's handling that relationship, everybody patting everybody on the back and burping them.

"I feel like I could just call Paradox and say - excuse my language here - 'What the f***?!' I probably never would, but we could have a quick conversation about a situation and not do this dance. And that's great."

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Paradox boss Fredrik Wester agreed. "It's a personal relationship that I feel works. This is not like our first awkward date. We've both been in the industry for a while, we know the ups and downs. We've both had some failures, both had some successes. We've both released some buggy games in the past and now we both want to release a really great gaming experience.

"Two or three years ago we had to publish games we couldn't really stand behind and that damaged our reputation, because we needed the cashflow," Wester added. "Now we're in a totally different position.

"If we don't think Pillars of Eternity is up to standard, we're going to tell these guys. And we're opinionated people, we're going to come back with tons of opinions. We have a QA team of eighteen people who're going to play the game for weeks and weeks and give their feedback."

Polygon - Pillars of Eternity Deal Built from Mutual Respect

Paradox and Obsidian will remain independent companies but will continue to foster their mutual relationship. Urquhart said he feels he can "call out" Paradox if something is uncomfortable, and both company heads are confident that lines of communication will be open and strong.

"This is a partnership between two strong independent companies that remain strong and independent," Wester said. "That's the reason we're doing this. We also want to build a new genre within the RPG genre as well, and we will work long-term with Obsidian to build that new genre and grow a community."

"You can feel independent even if you're owned by someone else," he added. "We are both privately held and centered around small ownership groups, and because of that it's much easier to get along. We've eliminated a lot of the initial threats to the relationship not working. We can focus on the thing that matters, and that is the game."