[EviLore]

Interview with Feargus Urquhart

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/25/ob...eoples-worlds/

IWD3:

Obsidian is also pushing on updating a former Black Isle property: Icewind Dale 3. "I was talking to Atari last week," he confides, "and said why don't we do this?" The old series, he says, didn't end because of low sales. "They stopped being made because of licensing issues, and Interplay going out of business, and BioWare moving on to console, and a whole lot of things. So a part of it is, why not go make Icewind Dale 3? You can't spend $20 million on it, but why not go make it?"

Original IP project:

The ultimate goal for a lot of studios making sequels is to finally jump off and work on their own original IP. Does Obsidian ever want to take that jump? "Absolutely," confirms Urquhart, before going on to say that Obsidian already has an original IP title underway. "We have a whole big cool world idea that we can hopefully talk about soon. That is a whole new world, a whole new thing. It's being put together by Josh Sawyer, who was the project director on Fallout New Vegas, and Chris Avellone is involved."

Must-do licensed project:

Before Obsidian begins on its own work, Urquhart says there are a few other projects in the pipeline, and one is an unannounced title we'll be hearing about soon. "There is a property that we are working on, that we can't talk about yet," he teases. "It's something we've been working on since the middle of last year, just with a small team, it's only been five or ten people. It's a license that you would go, well you gotta do it. It's not a license where it's, 'Ok, we'll take that and we can do something with it.' It's more like, well that's once in a lifetime." (Presumably, this is the Wheel of Time game, but Urquhart didn't say more on the subject.)

More at the link.

[Timber]

"The ultimate goal for a lot of studios making sequels is to finally jump off and work on their own original IP. Does Obsidian ever want to take that jump?"

Sick Alpha Protocol burn, bro.

[Ceebs]

This would be the absolute best chance for a turn based 4E game. Hopefully it can get done.

[EatChildren]

Someone give Obsidian the Arcanum IP so I can finally get a sequel (that would likely be very good) to my favourite RPG of all time.

[fallengorn]

Would love to see a game with 4E, but I recently tried playing NWN2 and couldn't get pass all the glitches/bugs. :\

[Kafel]

I think we've already had this thread.

[Lakitu]

Definitely looking forward to seeing what these guys come up with. I thought they did a pretty damn good job on New Vegas. I'm looking forward to seeing that original IP.

[DaBuddaDa]

Icewind Dale 3 is something I never thought I'd ever hear. I hope they do it, but it sounds like nothing is set and it's just an idea they've been tossing around. So, Icewind Dale 3 Winter 2013 hoorah!

[Sober]

From what I have experienced, Obsidian always makes a superior sequel (KOTOR2 and FNV from what I've played, just started NWN2) and always puts an interesting spin. Also, I loved Alpha Protocol, fuck the haters. Damn shame the gameplay Obsidian introduces hasn't gotten more love outside of their respective games.

[Chacranajxy]

I don't understand why companies keep shopping IPs out to Obsidian when time and again, they come back with something decidedly worse than its predecessors.

[Nirolak]

Sawyer being on the new IP would seem to imply that they're not making a new project with Bethesda.

[Donos]

Dargon Age was considered as the successor of Baldurs Gate ... let's see

I would take a Icewind Dale 2.5 / BG2.5 over a new 3D rpg with only the name "Icewind Dale" slapped on it.

BG2 and IWD2 are my most replayed RPGs of all time.

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

A new Icewind Dale would be great.

[kamspy]

Didn't Obsidian build an engine for Dungeon Siege 3?

Maybe they want to get some more mileage out of that. I'd love to see an Obsidian pure PC RPG.

[Shanadeus]

If taking the jump and making your own original IPs mean Masseffects and whatnots instead of more NWNs then I'd rather they didn't take the jump.

ID3 yay!

[Tanolen]

I don't understand why companies keep shopping IPs out to Obsidian when time and again, they come back with something decidedly worse than its predecessors.

Man, what.

They have done 3 sequels so far, and all have been considered better by most gaming forums I've seen, including this one.

[jogarrr]

I would love ID3. A party based DnD game using 4ed, bring it on.. Damn, now I have the urge to buy 1 and 2 from Gog.

[EviLore]

Well under $20M if you use the Infinity Engine, Feargus :D

[BrodiemanTTR]

I'll start to care if they ever actually finish a game before shipping it.

[Vaporak]

I don't understand why companies keep shopping IPs out to Obsidian when time and again, they come back with something decidedly worse than its predecessors.

Fallout:NV > Fallout:3; Kotor2 > Kotor1.

[Paches-EJ-]

I wouldn't care if it was just another 100 hours of content on a modern day Infinity Engine, just get me some more iso cam old school PC RPG goodness!

[Lakitu]

Fallout:NV > Fallout:3; Kotor2 > Kotor1.

Erm sorry, but both wrong. Still, they're great games.

[Stallion Free]

I don't understand why companies keep shopping IPs out to Obsidian when time and again, they come back with something decidedly worse than its predecessors.

KOTOR 2 was arguably better than KOTOR 1 in almost every way.
Neverwinter Nights 2 was followed by MOTB which everyone considers to be better than NWN1.
New Vegas is arguably better than FO3 and many ways.

Hmm...

Shouldn't be hard for them to improve Dungeon Siege either as they are on a roll.

[Mashing]

ITT we find who the people who haven't played Mask of the Betrayer are

[Bebpo]

ID3 would be rad, but why not do use one of their bigger name franchises like Planescape that has more name recognition. I've never really heard much about ID besides "it has good combat". Usually if you want to bank on an old franchise you want one with an interesting worldview/story like Fallout/Planescape since you can recreate that in a modern game and keep the feel of the original.

Also I'll add to the disappointment that AP didn't sell billions and become Obsidian's original IP that they could do a sequel or two on. AP was soooo good.


I do wonder what their current team division means for Fallout 4. I REALLY do not want Bethesda doing another fake-fallout again with Fallout 4. It better be Obsidian. New Vegas is the real Fallout 3.

[jim-jam bongs]

I don't understand why companies keep shopping IPs out to Obsidian when time and again, they come back with something decidedly worse than its predecessors.

So this is what bad taste looks like.

More Obsidian is always good news.

[Zeal]

Kotor2 was honestly the buggiest mess I ever played. Not a big fan of these guys.

[KareBear]

Didn't Obsidian build an engine for Dungeon Siege 3? Maybe they want to get some more mileage out of that. I'd love to see an Obsidian pure PC RPG.

The Onyx Engine they are using for Dungeon Siege 3 was originally made for the Aliens Rpg.

[Stallion Free]

Fuck why did that Alien RPG have to get dropped. They should have retooled it to be a smaller release and released on XBLA/Steam/PSN to test the market.

[vocab]

If Dungeon Siege 3 turns out to be good, I'll like the idea of IWD3 from them. They do make buggy ass games, but they work on engines that are easily prone to problems. Alpha Protocol is a fucking mess in so many ways.

[Corto]

I'll wait until Dungeon Siege 3 is out to know if I will be excited or just sad.

[Bebpo]

Their games are super buggy but you just gotta save a lot of deal with it. It's worth putting up with the bugs for the games underneath.

Fuck why did that Alien RPG have to get dropped. They should have retooled it to be a smaller release and released on XBLA/Steam/PSN to test the market.

It was the rpg I'd been looked forward to the most over the last few years. Incredibly disappointing that it got canned. Obsidian quality writing and gameplay design mixed with the Aliens mythology would have been amazing :\

[szaromir]

Well under $20M if you use the Infinity Engine, Feargus :D

They'll probably be using their in-house engine Onyx from now on. I hope it's competent.

[Alrus]

IW3 could be nice as long as it uses something similar to infinity engine, I would love that!

Dragon age was such a disapointment in that sense, it completely failed as a successor to BG2 (despite what Bioware said), hope this works out better... If it's ever made.

[Tanolen]

Like to seem them try their hands at a dark sun rpg.

[industrialfan225]

After what Obsidian has done lately, I wouldn't have much faith in it.

[Rodney McKay]

Kotor2 was honestly the buggiest mess I ever played. Not a big fan of these guys.

Many people would argue that that wasn't their fault(teh Lucasarts rooshed dem!!); I am not one of those people however.

Too much of a two steps forward, 3 steps back kind of a developer for me to unconditionally love everything they do.

[Danne-Danger]

After what Obsidian has done lately, I wouldn't have much faith in it.

Yeah all those great creative games, fuck 'em I say!

[ElectricBlue187]

Is Motb on Steam?

[Stallion Free]

After what Obsidian has done lately, I wouldn't have much faith in it.

[EviLore]

Is Motb on Steam?

Yep. $20 for NWN2 + MotB + SoZ. http://store.steampowered.com/app/2760/

[WanderingWind]

Someone give Obsidian the Arcanum IP so I can finally get a sequel (that would likely be very good) to my favourite RPG of all time.

Oh, man.

Icewind Dale 4E isometric RPG and Arcanum II is all I ask. I'll never begrudge another streamlined RPG if I can have these.

Please, Obsidian. PLEASE!

EDIT: Yeah, the Obsidian can't make a good game meme died with Fallout: New Vegas, which is better than Fallout 3 in every measurable way.

[Tanolen]

I don't understand why obsidian gains the ire of so many. Even if you don't consider their sequels better than the original, you can't consider them significantly worse.

[kamspy]

The Onyx Engine they are using for Dungeon Siege 3 was originally made for the Aliens Rpg.

Thanks. Yeah, that's the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the thread title.

Would the licensing cost them anything? I don't think the IWD IP is strong enough to be worth paying for. They could do just as much with a new IP. PC gamers are starved for a party based, traditional RPG. Seems like all the good PC RPGs these days are solo games. Witcher, TES, etc.

So yeah, if I was gonna make this game I'd just ditch the IWD branding if costs more than 1 cent. I think people are hungry enough for a nice party based RPG from a familiar developer. I'm so fucking desperate I'm buying Dragon Age 2.

[WanderingWind]

Thanks. Yeah, that's the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the thread title. Would the licensing cost them anything? I don't think the IWD IP is strong enough to be worth paying for. They could do just as much with a new IP. PC gamers are starved for a party based, traditional RPG. Seems like all the good PC RPGs these days are solo games. Witcher, TES, etc. So yeah, if I was gonna make this game I'd just ditch the IWD branding if costs more than 1 cent. I think people are hungry enough for a nice party based RPG from a familiar developer. I'm so fucking desperate I'm buying Dragon Age 2.

Starved? We're fucking dyin' over here. Good point about the name not really holding that big of a cache.

But Arcanum II, even running off of the the Dragon Age:Origins tech....yum.

[obonicus]

Also, EA, let them have a go at the Ultima license.

[psykomyko]

Ive always wanted to try the Icewind Dale series. Is it of the same quality as the Baldur's Gate series?

[Stallion Free]

EDIT: Yeah, the Obsidian can't make a good game meme died with Fallout: New Vegas, which is better than Fallout 3 in every measurable way.

Oh those threads were a goddamn treat. If I recall someone declared KOTOR 2 a lesser game without ever even having played it.

[Durante]

I just read today that Drakensang (which is huge) was made on €2.5 million. So there should be no problem with making IWD3 for significantly less than 20 million USD.

Neverwinter Nights 2 was followed by MOTB which everyone considers to be better than NWN1.

NWN2 doesn't need MotB to blow NWN1 out of the water.

[WanderingWind]

Oh those threads were a goddamn treat. If I recall someone declared KOTOR 2 a lesser game without ever even having played it.

Heh. He just knew, okay, because if enough people say Obsidian makes bad games, then he didn't need to play them to prove it. I mean, he didn't have cancer but knew that it was bad.

Or something along those lines. I remember.