Microsoft is reportedly on the cusp of purchasing Obsidian Entertainment
"It's a matter of when, not if".
Microsoft is reportedly close to finalising a deal to acquire Obsidian Entertainment, the acclaimed developer behind the likes of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity.
Will Take-Two push loot boxes or microtransactions into Obsidian's new RPG?
"The answer is simply: no."
Earlier this week, Take-Two's brand new label Private Division was named publisher of Obsidian's big and secret, in-development role-playing game.
Inside Obsidian: How RPG's greatest survivors kept the lights on
"They say the path to Hell is paved with good intentions."
Over the years, I've come to know what to expect from Obsidian, or so I thought. Obsidian makes RPGs, beautiful, intriguing, sometimes slightly shonky RPGs with great writing and vivid characters and just a lingering trace of thriftiness. They make games where the concepts, where the soul, trumps the budget.
Why Obsidian turned down a Game of Thrones video game
Aegon regret that.
With the penultimate season of Game of Thrones finished on TV and a colossal amount of people talking about it, it's hard to imagine any video game maker ever passing up the opportunity to get a piece of that franchise pie. But as I found out recently, Obsidian Entertainment did - it turned down Game of Thrones.
Wonderful role-playing game Pillars of Eternity, and lovely city-builder Cities: Skylines, are coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this year.
Pillars of Eternity 2 has now raised more than Pillars of Eternity 1
UPDATE: Finishes with $4.4m.
UPDATE 27TH FEBRUARY: The Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire crowdfunding campaign ended with a grand total of $4,407,598 - four times higher than the not inconsiderable $1.1m goal.
In Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire you have a mobile base of operations - a ship!
I'm not mizzen this.
Obsidian has held off talking about one big new Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire feature until now - until right near the end of crowdfunding. Ships!
"We might not tackle a game like this again"
Obsidian opens up after Armored Warfare contract terminated.
Obsidian Entertainment has assured Eurogamer it is "doing fine" following the announcement it will no longer develop Armored Warfare, the free-to-play tank game. Those duties will move wholesale to Russian studio My.com, owned by the Russian company bankrolling the whole operation, Mail.ru.
Making of Pillars of Eternity documentary is well worth a watch
How Obsidian survived.
Obsidian has published a documentary on the making of Pillars of Eternity - and it's well worth a watch.
Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part 2 delayed until February
New trailer released.
Pillars of Eternity's second DLC expansion, The White March Part 2, has been delayed until 16th February, developer Obsidian has announced.
Pillars of Eternity White March Part 2 gets a release date
Raises the level cap and adds a Story Mode for "faster pace".
The second part of The White March expansion for Pillars of Eternity will be released late January 2016, developer Obsidian has announced. Part 1 launched 25th August 2015.
The White March - Part 2 will raise the game's character level-cap up beyond 14, and introduce a Story Mode to tell "the incredible narrative of Pillars of Eternity at a faster pace", said a press release. Does this mean Story Mode resolves battles for you, or does it skip them entirely? Perhaps the game uses more of the Choose Your Own Adventure-style screens to leapfrog combat. There's also a new companion, the barbarian Meneha, as well as new quests, new abilities and presumably new loot.
All we've actually seen of Part 2 so is some art for the insect-like Vithrack species and a few concepts for helmets in the expansion.
Pillars of Eternity sells 500k copies
Obsidian's Baldur's Gate spiritual successor does the business.
Pillars of Eternity has shifted half a million copies, publisher Paradox Interactive has announced.
Obsidian's crowdfunded RPG raised roughly $4.5m between a Kickstarter campaign during the autumn of 2012 combined with backers on the developer's site. Obsidian also released the first chapter of its two-part expansion, The White March, back in August of this year and part two is still on the way.
Additionally, there's a tabletop spin-off called Lords of the Eastern Reach that's in the works for a 2016 release, along with several ebooks from the game's core writing team that will expand upon Pillars of Eternity's lore.
The first expansion for Pillars of Eternity comes out this month.
The White March - Part 1 launches 25th August, developer Obsidian and publisher Paradox said.
It raises the old-school fantasy role-playing game's level cap, adds new multi-class abilities, new companions (including rogue and monk), and a new party-based AI system.
Pillars of Eternity expansion The White March - Part 1 announced
Higher level cap, new abilities, new companions.
Obsidian Entertainment has announced Pillars of Eternity expansion The White March - Part 1, which is "coming soon" for PC (Windows, Linux) and Mac.
Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart said it's the first part of the expansion they're doing for the game - a comment that will need more explanation - as will him claiming Obsidian did more writing for it than for the main Pillars of Eternity game.
The White March - Part 1 will raise the game's level cap, add new multi-class abilities, new companions (including rogue and monk), a new party-based AI system and more.
Chris Avellone leaves Obsidian Entertainment
UPDATE: Tells us he's "off to pursue new projects".
UPDATE #2: In a short email response, Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart acknowledged the news.
Pillars of Eternity launches card game spinoff Kickstarter
UPDATE: The campaign is already a success.
UPDATE 29TH MAY: The Kickstarter campaign is already past its $30K goal. The total as of 8.30am BST is $40K.
ORIGINAL STORY 28TH MAY: Pillars of Eternity could be getting a card game spinoff if its Kickstarter ends up successful. And it no doubt will be, given that it's already raised $9K of its $30K goal in its first few hours.
Dubbed Lords of the Eastern Reach, this strategy card game is being developed by Fallout lead designer Chris Taylor, Planescape: Torment and Fallout designer Scott Everts, and South Park: The Stick of Truth level artist John Lewis at Zero Radius Games. The Kickstarter noted that Pillars of Eternity developer Obsidian Entertainment is "actively involved in its development" too.
Big Pillars of Eternity expansion already in the works
About the same size as Baldur's Gate's Tales of the Sword Coast.
A substantial expansion for old-school fantasy role-playing game Pillars of Eternity is in the works.
Pillars of Eternity comes out next week, and developer Obsidian is putting the finishing touches to the release. But it's also got a small team of people working on the game's first expansion.
In a Reddit AMA (via VG247), Obsidian executive producer and lead programmer Adam Brennecke said the expansion is expected to be about the same size area wise as Tales of the Sword Coast, the well-received expansion to 1998 fantasy role-playing game Baldur's Gate. Pillar's of Eternity is billed as the spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate series, so the comparison seems apt.
Before Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian nearly met its end
"We had a date in mind."
I had no idea things at Obsidian Entertainment had been so bad. I knew things weren't great before the record-breaking Project Eternity Kickstarter campaign, but I didn't realise that game had saved the company - that without it the studio would have closed.
Pillars of Eternity release date set for March
New areas to be shown off on Twitch tomorrow.
Fan-funded PC role-player Pillars of Eternity will launch worldwide on 26th March, developer Obsidian Entertainment has just announced.
After $4.5m of Kickstarter pledges and fan money, the classically-styled RPG is little more than two months away.
New sections of the game will be shown off tomorrow, 15th January, in a live-stream hosted on publisher Paradox Entertainment's Twitch channel at 9pm UK time.
Pillars of Eternity's release delayed to early 2015
For polish and to "make sure we don't ship a buggy game".
Pillars of Eternity has been delayed from winter 2014 to early 2015, developer Obsidian has announced.
Pillars of Eternity backer beta release date announced
Hope you have pun.
Playable Pillars of Eternity - finally! Obsidian has announced that the retro-styled role-playing game will go into beta for backers from 18th August.
The PC and Mac game has a broad release date of winter 2014 (suggesting December rather than January or February, but only time will tell).
Obsidian promised more beta detail in the next Eternity update - detail such as how to participate and, presumably, how much of the full game will be playable.
Does Pillars of Eternity sound Infinity Engine enough?
Relax with four soothing minutes of example music.
Don't let Wednesday get on top of you - relax with a few minutes of gentle background music from upcoming fantasy adventure Pillars of Eternity.
Paradox and Obsidian: "We both know there's no BS"
If Pillars of Eternity isn't up to scratch, Paradox will say.
Paradox and Obsidian spoke frankly to Eurogamer at GDC yesterday about their Pillars of Eternity partnership.
Obsidian partners with Paradox for Pillars of Eternity
Developer explains decision.
UPDATE 11.45PM GMT: Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart and Paradox boss Fredrik Wester talked about the deal at GDC moments ago. Contributor Paul Dean was there and sent me some choice remarks.
So Obsidian, when is Pillars of Eternity coming out?
UPDATE: "Winter 2014" window announced.
UPDATE 11/02 11.45PM: Obsidian has just officially announced a "winter 2014" release window for Pillars of Eternity.
Probably the best RPG character sheet in the world
Pillars of Eternity, you are really spoiling us.
There's nothing that says 'old-school RPG' like a deliciously deep, stat-laden character sheet - and Pillars of Eternity appears to have exactly that.
What will Obsidian's second Kickstarter project be?
Feargus Urquhart teases ideas and a spring reveal.
Developer Obsidian is not only keen on using Kickstarter to fund another game, it has an idea it hopes to talk about as soon as March or April next year.
Obsidian renames Project Eternity, releases a proper video
Behold Pillars of Eternity.
The working title of Project Eternity has gone; from here on out, Obsidian's Kickstarted role-playing game will be known as Pillars of Eternity.
Project Eternity looks impressively like concept art
New screenshot demonstrates.
There's a brand new Project Eternity screenshot in town, released to illustrate how similar concept art and final product are turning out to be.
Project Eternity, as a series, could run for eternity
Doing multiple hardcore isometric RPGs would make Chris Avellone very happy, "because that was Black Isle".
Project Eternity isn't a one-off trip down memory lane nor a mere Kickstarter curio for Obsidian Entertainment, it's a series in the making - a potential future upon which the studio could be based.
"We would like to do a real-world-style RPG."
The Aliens: Crucible RPG that Obsidian was building for Sega was a kind of survival game that allowed you to build a base and improve it over time.
Obsidian's next-gen game "already looking great" says Feargus Urquhart
South Park: The Stick of Truth out this year.
There's definitely something big in the works at Obsidian beyond South Park and Project Eternity, and "it is already looking great", studio CEO Feargus Urquhart told me in an email overnight.
Will you waterfall for Obsidian's first Project Eternity video?
To Infinity Engine and beyond.
Obsidian's shared the first video of Project Eternity in action.
The future of RPGs according to Obsidian's Urquhart and BioWare's Muzyka
"Putting the water cooler into the game."
Two of the most influential role-playing game makers in the West - Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart and former BioWare boss Ray Muzyka - have talked about what they think will be the RPG experience of the future.
What a year Kickstarter had in 2012
How many game ideas do you think were pitched?
What a year Kickstarter had in 2012. Tim Schafer's Double Fine kicked the crowd-funding website into orbit back in March, raising more than $3 million to make an old-school adventure game.
Obsidian flashes some Project Eternity leg: first renders and some more art
Its other codename is Project Tretton apparently.
Obsidian's flashed a bit of Project Eternity leg: the first work in progress renders of a couple of characters, a building and some art.
Project Eternity crowd-funding ends, grand total now $4.3 million
Plus a look at what Obsidian's been up to.
Yes the Project Eternity Kickstarter ended with record breaking numbers a while ago, but PayPal donations stayed open. Yesterday marked the end-proper of crowd-funding, and the new grand total stands at $4.3 million, Obsidian announced.
Chris Avellone blesses inXile's Planescape: Torment successor
His friend and PST key person Colin McComb in charge.
A successor to Planescape: Torment is happening. No it's not Project Eternity, no it's not Chris Avellone; it's Colin McComb (Planescape: Torment second in command) and inXile (Wasteland 2). And it has the blessing of Chris Avellone, the lead designer of PST.
A Project Eternity recap: what $4 million has funded
Spring 2014 isn't that far away, is it?
Grand total update: $4,163,208 (Kickstarter $3,986,929, PayPal $176,279). 15 mega dungeon levels confirmed.
Obsidian's Project Eternity most funded video game ever on Kickstarter
UPDATE: Kickstarter ends at just under $4 million.
Update: The Project Eternity Kickstarter has ended at a whopping $3,986,929, easily shattering any videogame record in Kickstarter history.
First Project Eternity screen looks shockingly realistic
New stretch goals announced for a stronghold and another big city.
Obsidian has just released the first screenshot of its upcoming crowdsourced PC RPG codenamed Project Eternity on its Kickstarter.
Project Eternity adds Wasteland 2 as tiered Kickstarter reward
Lots to catch up on as Obsidian enters final fundraising week.
Kickstarted project Wasteland 2 has been added as a reward for helping fund Obsidian's Project Eternity on Kickstarter.
Project Eternity nears $2m: updates on souls, world tech, non-combat and Unity
Sounds better by the day.
Obsidian's old-style RPG Project Eternity is on the road to becoming one of Kickstarter's greatest fund raisers, with $1.9 million raised and 22 days to go. (The target, in case you're out of the loop, was $1.1 million.)
Wasteland 2 raised $2.93 million via Kickstarter, and Double Fine's new adventure game raised $3.34 million. (Ouya raised $8.6 million, but it's not a game so nerr.)
Project Eternity is in stretch goal territory. And there are project updates I will round up here.
Obsidian's Project Eternity going DRM-free on GOG
New reward tiers announced. Purchase three copies for another $60.
Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming crowdsourced isometric RPG Project Eternity is going to be DRM-free on GOG.com, the developer has announced.
Lots more Project Eternity information and a tentative spring 2014 release date
"Is the act of sacrificing someone for the greater good a good act in itself?"
Obsidian Entertainment was "floored" by the response to the Project Eternity Kickstarter funding drive, Tim Cain told me. The goal of $1.1 million was surpassed in one weekend, and the total now stands at over $1.55 million.
Tim Cain is the creator of Fallout, of Arcanum and of disappointing (but I still loved it) The Temple of Elemental Evil. He helped program Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. And he joined Obsidian Entertainment in October 2011.
"Work has already begun on [Project Eternity]," Cain explained, "but the advantage of doing the Kickstarter this early in its development is that we can be guided by the feedback from our fans. We are reading the forums and noting what features people think are most important in the game, and then we are revising our work schedule accordingly."
Obsidian's Project Eternity RPG funded on Kickstarter in three days
It was Torment to be.
Blimey - Obsidian's new RPG Project Eternity was funded on Kickstarter in just three days.
Obsidian's new game is Project Eternity, a fantasy RPG
Pays homage to Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale.
Obsidian's new game is Project Eternity, a Kickstarted fantasy RPG that pays homage to Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale.
Obsidian's new RPG likely a Kickstarter project
And a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment?
Oh my, could Obsidian's new RPG be a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment?
Is Obsidian's new RPG called Eternity?
Countdown points to Friday as new clues emerge.
The number four has become a number three - it was a countdown rather than a number symbolic of the new Project X RPG that Obsidian has been teasing.
