Pillars III Speculation Thread

[Verde]

My speculation is it will be riddled with bugs

[White.Kelevra]

Just announced and i throw my money!

[algroth]

My guess is based off the 400k reads of one topic in this forum

 

Steam + Gog won't count pre-orders as sales. OBS got > $4m in pre-sales so at a rough count 150k.

 

You can then take the 400k views as a starting point

 

Maybe we have a higher engagement rate than typical - I would be surprised if the number was under a million sales

 

I do know they keep shifting staff around - these are all promotions I believe from support to other areas of the company

 

I have PMs from community managers who have moved position (really upsets my group)

 

Why knock a game you love?

 

You're trying to estimate numbers that are already openly accessible to the public. The Fig campaign had a total of 33614 backers, as per its campaign page. Views in a forum say very little about sales, as they are not unique user views and don't even imply the user has purchased the game. In the case of the Scavenger Codes, that in particular is a thread that's been going well before the game was out and I wouldn't be surprised that half of its views were acquired before the game was even released. On the other hand, the Steam leak is a pretty direct source which also gives you a solid number, no estimates or the likes. That's 203k units sold up until back in early July - I doubt that between GOG, Amazon, the backers and the month since we have five times that number... But it's not a bad performance either.

[EdwinOdesseiron]

I am the one. And you will obey my call.

[Flouride]

4 million is definitely ridiculous, but I'm fairly certain Deadfire did alright for a relatively niche AA game: the fig campaign was a huge success, and if algroth's correct 300-325k sales seems a realistic assumption when you count in steam, gog and other retail stores like amazon.

 

Sales were likely bumped early August as well, with the release of BoW. It'll never reach the crazy level of D:OS2, but I doubt anyone expected that.

 

No just likely, they were bumped. On GOG the Obsidian Edition, Deadfire and Beast of Winter DLC all sold really well during the sale. I would say they sold tens of thousand units during that week on both GOG and Steam combined.

 

Overall the sales are at least 300k now when you count both GOG and Steam. Some kinda bump is to be expected when the next DLC hits stores and a final bump for the year when 3rd one comes out.

 

It is not an instant success story like D:OS2, but it's something that will keep making profit for Obsidian for years.

[peardox]

It'd be REALLY cool if we had some transparency here

 

If Obsidian simply release sales figures...

A simple way to get a better estimate is to see who has what badges

[the_dog_days]

While its not what I want, it might be a good idea to let the franchise sit for four or five years before announcing POE3. Let the community get a little hungry might help drive up initial sales when it does launch. 

[Mygaffer]

It'd be REALLY cool if we had some transparency here

 

If Obsidian simply release sales figures...

 

A simple way to get a better estimate is to see who has what badges

I mean we will have to have some transparency because there will be obligations to the Fig backers. That part will be interesting.

[Multihog]

Nah. Give us an Eora-set, non-watcher game. The developers have crafted a rich world. Give us a campaign that doesn't center around the same themes and powers, please.

And preferably one where you aren't The One in another way, either. That stuff is so played out. 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Multihog

[rjshae]

They could make it an inland sea and use the same ship/exploration mechanic. Different coastal regions with progressively more challenging locales, driven by the plot.

[InsaneCommander]

They could make it an inland sea and use the same ship/exploration mechanic. Different coastal regions with progressively more challenging locales, driven by the plot.

 

An inland sea or a coast with rivers. The boat would be optional.

[dam]

It should have the game as the prelude to Pillars of Eternity .

It should be about the Saints War and a young Durance and his Party that slayed

 

Please accept my apologies in advance for being pedantic.

 

I do understand in Monster Hunter World they write "XXX slayed" when you kill a big monster (and boy does that trigger me every time...).

The fact is, Slay is an irregular verb which goes so :

Slay, slew, slain

 

Quest: Please slay this monster.

Monster killed by party: OK, we did good, we slew the monster.

Return to town: The monster has been slain, gold plz

[Multihog]

 

It should have the game as the prelude to Pillars of Eternity .

It should be about the Saints War and a young Durance and his Party that slayed

 

I do understand in Monster Hunter World they write "XXX slayed" when you kill a big monster (and boy does that trigger me every time...).

I, personally, enjoy the occasional Engrish. "YOU DEFEATED" in Dark Souls was some first-rate Engrish.

[misterjimmy]

Hope we can starting with high level in POE 3. I don't want starting with level 1 again. And I don't care about new player.  Expand new subclass, ability and epic level is good. And also hiring some better writer making good storyline. Being a CRPG companion interactions and story are supposed to be a pro, not a amateur.  Avoid something like boat and stronghold because those management is unnecessary. Don't make mini game again because it's just waste.

Edited September 20, 2018 by misterjimmy

[Mannimark]

What made BG good was it told an epic story spanning many games, and let you keep the same character.

 

Following that logic, if PoE is the spiritual successor to BG and hopes to surpass it then we have not seen the last of the watcher.

 

I suspect the next game will involve what happens after the wheel goes down. To answer the 'plot hole' so many people seem to think exists regarding what the world was like before the wheel was made: it was normal. Souls still existed, but they transmigrated somewhere else at death. Like a d&d setting, they went to the Great Beyond and NOBODY KNOWS what happened to them. That's why death is called the great unknown mystery.

 

The 'gods' are a bunch of jerks who decided to co-opt that process and draw power from it. They built a hydroelectric dam and recycled the water endlessly instead of letting it return to the sea, like it should, until kith accepted that as the natural order of things, even though it absolutely wasn't. And if you figured it out the Leaden Key would come along and stab you or set you on fire or whatevers in fashion at the time.

 

I see no plot holes there at all. It's a well thought out plot written by someone with a solid grasp of existential philosophy.

 

As for what happens next, the gods just got exposed as a bunch of seriously amoral (read: psychopathic) people who massacred a whole civilization and nomed their souls so they could move into the Great Beyond and play "lol I'm a super sayan". Now they can't feed on the ambient energy of reincarnation. So they're starving and desperate to keep their power.

 

So the plot is probably "God War"

 

Understand, the gods in this setting have been clearly established as narcissistic and evil. Woedica? Evil. Magran? Evil. Slain? Evil. Ondra? Stupendously evil. The best of them are neutral. Maybe. Hyalea seems like a ditz who doesn't do much. They routinely murder and ruin entire cultures for very little reason at all. They don't act like representations of advanced concepts related to the mortal condition who care about their followers spiritual growth. They act like the Olympians.

 

When you cross the Olympians, they throw tantrums and break stuff and curse people. They release the kraken. They sire demigod offspring. They try to intimidate mortals into obedience.

 

Or at least, I hope they try.

[Enurale]

The most important thing is the continuation of POE series, other details not so important, at least for now When i officially hear about POE3, that news will be a great relief for me

[nouser]

i hope pillars of eternity 3 is not impossible.  from what i have seen after november the sales improved (top 100 in steam) . perhaps the console sales were better ?  if pillars 3 be ever released. i think a idea could be ( besides doing an epic game above level 20, which would be more difficult )   to create 2 characters. the watcher from poe1 and poe2 , which would be a non-playable npc  who could even become an antagonist depending of your choices and whose story (and that of fetured old characters)  would depend on it. and your new level 1 character,  i think the poe 1 and poe 2 characters should probably only appear as npcs in the new games if it would not be an epic game. your new character would start in level 1.

Edited March 2, 2019 by nouser

[theBalthazar]

Pillars 3 is needed to end the story of Watchers and kill 2-3 gods in a final epic and battle.

 

If the money is needed : same recipe  = Fig.

 

Like that, Obsidian can found money before start the project.

 

But imo, Microsoft can also do the job...

 

(And add a better QA testers)

Edited March 3, 2019 by theBalthazar

[injurai]

Microsoft funded Pillars would actually be quite great. Given M$ is now putting some of their games on Switch, it's possible that they'd just let Pillars be a "free" title that can live on all the usually platforms that it previously had. Of course they'd get the bonus of being the publisher. That earn them a lot of good will too when they inevitably put out their own exclusive IP which we all know will eventually materialize.

[Crucis]

Microsoft funded Pillars would actually be quite great. Given M$ is now putting some of their games on Switch, it's possible that they'd just let Pillars be a "free" title that can live on all the usually platforms that it previously had. Of course they'd get the bonus of being the publisher. That earn them a lot of good will too when they inevitably put out their own exclusive IP which we all know will eventually materialize.

 

On one hand, I could see some thinking that maybe a PoE3 might not happen because some might think that, hey, it didn't sell nearly as well as other titles.  But OTOH, maybe if it had some AAA game funding from Microsoft, this could turn a PoE3 into a blockbuster.  Who knows....

[DiabloStorm]

Didn't Microsoft buy Obsidian? 

[injurai]

 

Microsoft funded Pillars would actually be quite great. Given M$ is now putting some of their games on Switch, it's possible that they'd just let Pillars be a "free" title that can live on all the usually platforms that it previously had. Of course they'd get the bonus of being the publisher. That earn them a lot of good will too when they inevitably put out their own exclusive IP which we all know will eventually materialize.

 

On one hand, I could see some thinking that maybe a PoE3 might not happen because some might think that, hey, it didn't sell nearly as well as other titles.  But OTOH, maybe if it had some AAA game funding from Microsoft, this could turn a PoE3 into a blockbuster.  Who knows....

 

 

Yeah, I believe with the right marketing and a much more generous production budget we could see something very successful. I say it a lot but, the IP could also go on to compete with The Elder Scrolls one day. Obsidian already invested in their classic crpg engine, so doing a proper follow up in Pillars 3 makes sense as the next step. But Eora was always a setting that much more could be explored in. Especially once Obsidian ramps up with full AAA 3D rpgs again, TOW is still more of a AA mid budget venture. Imagine as the Eora IP matures and grows its fan-base, and Obsidian's pipeline is well oiled for the AAAs. Then that would be their time to strike. Probably still 8 years out though for something like this.

 

With Eora being basically the one IP that Microsoft gets from Obsidian, they would be crazy not to have a long term plan like this.

[Verde]

I know I'm a broken record, but the DLC expanded on the lore so much so that I think there is even more opportunity for Pillars to continue it's uptrend.

[daven]

 

 

Microsoft funded Pillars would actually be quite great. Given M$ is now putting some of their games on Switch, it's possible that they'd just let Pillars be a "free" title that can live on all the usually platforms that it previously had. Of course they'd get the bonus of being the publisher. That earn them a lot of good will too when they inevitably put out their own exclusive IP which we all know will eventually materialize.

 

On one hand, I could see some thinking that maybe a PoE3 might not happen because some might think that, hey, it didn't sell nearly as well as other titles.  But OTOH, maybe if it had some AAA game funding from Microsoft, this could turn a PoE3 into a blockbuster.  Who knows....

 

 

Yeah, I believe with the right marketing and a much more generous production budget we could see something very successful. I say it a lot but, the IP could also go on to compete with The Elder Scrolls one day. Obsidian already invested in their classic crpg engine, so doing a proper follow up in Pillars 3 makes sense as the next step. But Eora was always a setting that much more could be explored in. Especially once Obsidian ramps up with full AAA 3D rpgs again, TOW is still more of a AA mid budget venture. Imagine as the Eora IP matures and grows its fan-base, and Obsidian's pipeline is well oiled for the AAAs. Then that would be their time to strike. Probably still 8 years out though for something like this.

 

With Eora being basically the one IP that Microsoft gets from Obsidian, they would be crazy not to have a long term plan like this.

 

 

They should drop the 'Pillars of' and call it something else with Eternity. Not make it a 3.

 

Then again I guess Fallout 3 was popular and most people who played it had probably never heard of the previous games.

[injurai]

 

 

 

Microsoft funded Pillars would actually be quite great. Given M$ is now putting some of their games on Switch, it's possible that they'd just let Pillars be a "free" title that can live on all the usually platforms that it previously had. Of course they'd get the bonus of being the publisher. That earn them a lot of good will too when they inevitably put out their own exclusive IP which we all know will eventually materialize.

 

On one hand, I could see some thinking that maybe a PoE3 might not happen because some might think that, hey, it didn't sell nearly as well as other titles.  But OTOH, maybe if it had some AAA game funding from Microsoft, this could turn a PoE3 into a blockbuster.  Who knows....

 

 

Yeah, I believe with the right marketing and a much more generous production budget we could see something very successful. I say it a lot but, the IP could also go on to compete with The Elder Scrolls one day. Obsidian already invested in their classic crpg engine, so doing a proper follow up in Pillars 3 makes sense as the next step. But Eora was always a setting that much more could be explored in. Especially once Obsidian ramps up with full AAA 3D rpgs again, TOW is still more of a AA mid budget venture. Imagine as the Eora IP matures and grows its fan-base, and Obsidian's pipeline is well oiled for the AAAs. Then that would be their time to strike. Probably still 8 years out though for something like this.

 

With Eora being basically the one IP that Microsoft gets from Obsidian, they would be crazy not to have a long term plan like this.

 

 

They should drop the 'Pillars of' and call it something else with Eternity. Not make it a 3.

 

Then again I guess Fallout 3 was popular and most people who played it had probably never heard of the previous games.

 

 

You misunderstand. I'm saying have a Pillars 3, and a The Eora Scrolls or something like that. Though I suppose they could also do a Skies of Eternity or something as a successor series, keeping the same isometric pre-rendered design. Actually I'd really like that, not sure why I've always thought the extended universe had to go 3D. But I think it's likely, perhaps they could keep both genre styles alive if the IP grows to enough success.