Judas, if Obsidian wants a reputation of making hand-me-down games that is their business. Frankly I was hoping for something original first, then KotOR 2. KotOR 2 was inevitable, it just shouldn't be Obsidian's first game.
Right now the game industry is dominated by licensed or established settings. Why? Because the cost of developing a game and getting it into retail is so high that publishers feel they need a "hook" to sell a game. Established settings have a potentially built in audience to draw on.
I think OE made a great choice here. Establish themselves with a relationship to a good dev like Bioware, use an established setting, then do your original stuff down the road. Fargo's InXile is doing the same thing with the Bard's Tale setting.
In an ideal world we'd see a nice mix of original and sequel games, but that's not the reality now in this industry. The movie industry would be the same way if if weren't for the star power of individual actors who can draw to any project. With so few "star" individuals (Sid Meier can do whatever he wants, for example) it's setting and sometimes developer reputation (i.e. Blizzard or Bioware) that sells games. In that environment, establishing a good rep is OE's most likely path to success.
KotOR2 confirmed at 1Up.com
in Star Wars: General Discussion
Posted
Right now the game industry is dominated by licensed or established settings. Why? Because the cost of developing a game and getting it into retail is so high that publishers feel they need a "hook" to sell a game. Established settings have a potentially built in audience to draw on.
I think OE made a great choice here. Establish themselves with a relationship to a good dev like Bioware, use an established setting, then do your original stuff down the road. Fargo's InXile is doing the same thing with the Bard's Tale setting.
In an ideal world we'd see a nice mix of original and sequel games, but that's not the reality now in this industry. The movie industry would be the same way if if weren't for the star power of individual actors who can draw to any project. With so few "star" individuals (Sid Meier can do whatever he wants, for example) it's setting and sometimes developer reputation (i.e. Blizzard or Bioware) that sells games. In that environment, establishing a good rep is OE's most likely path to success.