Obsidian's AMA on Reddit

[CerberusGate]

Like the title of the thread suggests, Obsidian had an AMA recently with Brian Heins, Feargus Urquhart, Mikey Dowling and a certain Tim Cain along with some people from Paradox. Here's the link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5c3nkh/we_are_obsidian_entertainment_creators_of_aaa/

Feel free to discuss. Answers by the Obsidian people, attitudes of Redditors etc.

The answers and replies of the Obsidian people bring me some hope that Obsidian may make more good content in the future but unless EA/Bethesda gives up their IPs (or grow some common sense and let Obsidian work on the IPs), we may never see a KOTOR 3 or proper Fallout game (that will be missing Chris Avellone).

 

[Vergil]

we may never see a KOTOR 3 or proper Fallout game (that will be missing Chris Avellone).

I fucking hate video games

 

[Ragemage]

I don't want to look at it right now, for fear of Tyranny spoilers, but did they say anything about a new Vampire: The Masquerade? Paradox bought White Wolf and all its properties after all, and Obsidian tweeted a while back that a LOT of people had requested afterwards for them to work on a VtM game.

 

[CerberusGate]

I don't want to look at it right now, for fear of Tyranny spoilers, but did they say anything about a new Vampire: The Masquerade? Paradox bought White Wolf and all its properties after all, and Obsidian tweeted a while back that a LOT of people had requested afterwards for them to work on a VtM game.

There are some Tyranny questions there but nothing too spoilerific so far. Then again, I have been following Tyranny for a bit so it may not be spoilerific to me. As for Vampire related stuff, they have commented a little on it.

From Brian:

I'm a huge fan of Mage. I would love to work in that world at some point.

From Tim:

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Vampire.

From Mikey:

A mix of Hunter and Vampire would be pretty damn fun.

Interestingly, Feargus had something to say about making a World of Darkness RPG in the past:

I love the World of Darkness IP, and, not to throw in any secrets, but we came pretty close to making one back in 2006 or 2007 (maybe 2008). The premise was to use the Neverwinter Nights 2 engine, but make it for World of Darkness. Everyone could then make their own stories, and even run their own mini-MMO servers. Not something that everyone knew that both Neverwinter 1 and 2 could do.

The downside is this:
From a Paradox employee: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5c3nkh/we_are_obsidian_entertainment_creators_of_aaa/d9tdm7y/

White Wolf is actually it's own company, and they make their own decisions still on what they want to make

 

[CT Phipps]

I don't want to look at it right now, for fear of Tyranny spoilers, but did they say anything about a new Vampire: The Masquerade? Paradox bought White Wolf and all its properties after all, and Obsidian tweeted a while back that a LOT of people had requested afterwards for them to work on a VtM game.

I'm friends with some of Onyx Path's developers and they talk with White Wolf's developers (of course) so I know a bit more about it than most. According to them, third hand or not, Paradox has been negotiating a deal for V:TM:B2 for a while now but there's more hurdles to jump before said deal goes through because Obsidian isn't the company it was way back when (and wasn't really a great working environment to begin with--just filled with people passionate about gaming).

What they said was that Paradox would have happily announced the game from on high as soon as the ink was dry on the contract but it's still in legal.

 

[CerberusGate]

According to them, third hand or not, Paradox has been negotiating a deal for V:TM:B2 for a while now

Now I'm wondering whether they'd use Classic World of Darkness or the newer materials (Requiem) if they do make a VTM:B 2. For one thing, Bloodlines does not seem like the kind of game to make a sequel from, only a spiritual successor plus there is the whole Gehenna thing looming during the setting of Bloodlines so how far ahead in time they can go would be restricted.

I prefer the Classic World of Darkness tbh. More mythos and interesting lore that I found intriguing to learn when playing VTM:B for the first time while the new setting seems to enforce the need for angsty bittersweet ending for any quest (if TVTropes and what bits I've managed to read up on it is to be believed)

 

[CT Phipps]

Now I'm wondering whether they'd use Classic World of Darkness or the newer materials (Requiem) if they do make a VTM:B 2. For one thing, Bloodlines does not seem like the kind of game to make a sequel from, only a spiritual successor plus there is the whole Gehenna thing looming during the setting of Bloodlines so how far ahead in time they can go would be restricted.

I prefer the Classic World of Darkness tbh. More mythos and interesting lore that I found intriguing to learn when playing VTM:B for the first time while the new setting seems to enforce the need for angsty bittersweet ending for any quest (if TVTropes and what bits I've managed to read up on it is to be believed)

They've already rolled back on the New World of Darkness as they've renamed it, "Chronicles of Darkness" while naming the Old World of Darkness just the World of Darkness again. They've also restarted publication of the original World of Darkness with new supplements.

Note in Vampire: The Masquerade 20 (as the edition is called), most of the events of the Time of Thin Blood happened but they didn't lead to Gehenna and the world is still carrying on as before. Their latest book, "Beckett's Jyhad Diary" was one I did a couple of blog interviews for and was invited to see a sneak peak of the final result. Given the OWoD has a lot of people who remember and the new...not so much, I think they intend to license strictly from the OWoD unless asked.

This is just my impression, though, from the fact Onyx Path has basically been all about the Classic WoD. Whether this is preference or simply because it's more marketable or both is beyond me, though.

 

[PlanHex]

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5c3nkh/we_are_obsidian_entertainment_creators_of_aaa/d9tfyf9/

When we first started talking with Paizo about Pathfinder, the idea was that our first game would be a CRPG. As things happen, which they seem to often to in the game industry, it started to make more sense for us to do the card game first. We then got very busy on other projects, so we didn't move the CRPG game forward at all.

As things come to a close on other projects we are developing, we are looking at what comes next. I can't say that is going to be Pathfinder, but it is one of the things we are talking about.

Would love to see them make a Pathfinder game that plays like ToEE, but has more story/npc interaction than that game had.

 

[CerberusGate]

They've already rolled back on the New World of Darkness as they've renamed it, "Chronicles of Darkness" while naming the Old World of Darkness just the World of Darkness again. They've also restarted publication of the original World of Darkness with new supplements.

Given the OWoD has a lot of people who remember and the new...not so much, I think they intend to license strictly from the OWoD unless asked.

This is just my impression, though, from the fact Onyx Path has basically been all about the Classic WoD.

Ah... I see. Thanks for the clarification on that.

It would probably make a lot more sense (or at least sell a lot better) if they do use Classic WoD for a hypothetical VTM:B 2 since many VTM:B players would be more familiar with that setting.

 

[CT Phipps]

For what they have planned, here's straight from WW (i.e people Paradox has put in charge of it). They're pretty clear as to their Disney-strategy. I.e. they'll publish the RPG still but they're really interested in licensing the shit of the IP as best they can.

They've sent feelers out to movies, scifi television show makers, video games (of course), and so on. I remember participating in a poll where they asked, "So, ASIDE from Vampire: The Masquerade, which WOD property would you like to be seen as a video game." Werewolf and Mage were neck and neck.



I would have gotten more info probably from the Grand Masquerade in New Orleans but, yeah, that kind of was hit by a hurricane the week before and I didn't go.