What is Obsidian upto?

[Drakron]

True, if its KotOR III its LucasArts and if its IWD III it will be Atari.

 

I rather see IWD III that BG III to be honest, people will simply expect things from BG III that can no longer be done.

[TentamusDarkblade]

OE doesn't need to be at e3 to announce something, only they're publisher. This is especially true if they don't have anything to demo yet.

[jaguars4ever]

My money's on K3 or some other 'Bioware-hand-me-down'. ^_^

[Gorth]

My money's on K3 or some other 'Bioware-hand-me-down'.  ^_^

Hmm... if K2 was a Bioware hand-me-down, wouldn't K3 be an Obsidian hand-me-down ?

[jaguars4ever]

My money's on K3 or some other 'Bioware-hand-me-down'.  ^_^

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmm... if K2 was a Bioware hand-me-down, wouldn't K3 be an Obsidian hand-me-down ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, but 'Bio-handed-down-the-grapevine'. ^_^

[Green Lantern]

True, if its KotOR III its LucasArts and if its IWD III it will be Atari.

 

I rather see IWD III that BG III to be honest, people will simply expect things from BG III that can no longer be done.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IWD3? I didn't know that this was a possibility. If Chris A. is willing to helm this project, this could be a very, very promising title!

[Drakron]

God I hope not.

 

IWD is a dungeon crawl, Chris would end up doing "PS:T 2 " that is not IWD is.

[pulp]

I might get burned on the stake for this, but I hope it's a console title -- a good console title -- because that's where the market is. After seeing Troika go down in flames, they should shuffle out something with mass-market appeal and be in a good financial position before they try something new or experimental (such as developing their own IP).

 

I don't want to see another developer go down in flames.

[Niten_Ryu]

I might get burned on the stake for this, but I hope it's a console title -- a good console title -- because that's where the market is.  After seeing Troika go down in flames, they should shuffle out something with mass-market appeal and be in a good financial position before they try something new or experimental (such as developing their own IP).

 

I don't want to see another developer go down in flames.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Console generation change is always difficult. You might want to develop game for the old consoles, because already millions of gamers already have those consoles. If game is good enough, it'll sell ok.

 

On the other hand, if you develop game for the next generation consoles, you better make really good game because only few buy new console right away. Even if large % of 'em buy your new game, you might still lose money (next generation games cost more money to develop). The jackpot is that you make game so great (relatively of course, if you hate console games in general), that people actually buy new consoles because of that game (Halo series did that to Xbox).

 

If Obsidian makes KotOR III, they should make 2 complitely different versions (graphically, not storywise). One for Xbox and one for PC/XboxNext/Xbox360/whatever.

[Green Lantern]

True, if its KotOR III its LucasArts and if its IWD III it will be Atari.

 

I rather see IWD III that BG III to be honest, people will simply expect things from BG III that can no longer be done.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IWD3? I didn't know that this was a possibility. If Chris A. is willing to helm this project, this could be a very, very promising title!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If I'm not mistaken, Chris A. designed the prologue section of IWD2, which I thought was among the best areas of the entire game. If only the other areas (like Fell Woods) was as good.

[Phosphor]

I might get burned on the stake for this, but I hope it's a console title -- a good console title -- because that's where the market is.  After seeing Troika go down in flames, they should shuffle out something with mass-market appeal and be in a good financial position before they try something new or experimental (such as developing their own IP).

 

I don't want to see another developer go down in flames.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

NWN2 is a PC title with mass market appeal. The notion that console games are "where the market is" is not accurate, PC gaming is very much alive and a sizeable industry.

I'm not going to speculate or comment on why Troika closed down, but each business operates differently with different priorities; that Troika closed does not equate with PC gaming dying out, or that Obsidian will go down because they make PC games.

[pulp]

I might get burned on the stake for this, but I hope it's a console title -- a good console title -- because that's where the market is.  After seeing Troika go down in flames, they should shuffle out something with mass-market appeal and be in a good financial position before they try something new or experimental (such as developing their own IP).

 

I don't want to see another developer go down in flames.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

NWN2 is a PC title with mass market appeal. The notion that console games are "where the market is" is not accurate, PC gaming is very much alive and a sizeable industry.

I'm not going to speculate or comment on why Troika closed down, but each business operates differently with different priorities; that Troika closed does not equate with PC gaming dying out, or that Obsidian will go down because they make PC games.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Well, it's certainly true that PC gaming is alive and well, but I've got several figures off the ESA website with some numbers:-

 

"According to the data compiled by the NPD Group, overall U.S. video game console software sales reached $5.2 billion (160.7 million units), computer games sales were $1.1 billion (45 million units), and a record $1.0 billion (42.3 million units) in portable software sales. In terms of total units sold, approximately 248 million computer and video games were sold in 2004

[NeverwinterKnight]

Roleplaying games, the sort Obsidian makes, don't even figure under the section "Computer Games".  Isn't that disheartening?  Just how many units out of the total 45 million in 2004 represented PC CRPGs?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

does that take into account how many crpgs are actually out there though?

 

for instance, if there are 1000 different strategy games and only 10 rpg games on the market, then it only stands to reason that strategy games, as total sales, will be greater. however, in terms of sales per game, would rpgs still be so low?

[Monte Carlo]

Hey, let Obsidian make a few console titles. Why not? If a diverse portfolio allows them to release a decent PC RPG now and then it'd be well worth it.

 

Personally, on the console, I'd like to see Obsidian do a post-apocalyptic or science-fiction RTS title, give it the full treatment. The reason I say post-apoc is that I'd love to see you using junk as a resource. You know, you harvest different sorts of junk and...make stuff. Like crazed Mad Max killing machines. Imagine if the hottest loot on the map was, say, an old fridge or an aluminium shopping cart. Ha ha ha. You know, recycling always has this long-haired, Volvo-driving image, but in this game it'd be recycling with a difference.

 

For their original PC title I want to see an all singing, all dancing fantasy game that has a Jagged Alliance 2 style mission/ resource overlay. We discussed it over on the old BIS boards...I think Chris A. chimed in and said he liked it. Or it could have been Mr. Maldonado, in which case it's too bad 'cuz he's at Midway IIRC.

 

Cheers

MC

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I've yet to see an RTS game work on a console. Personally I'd avoid that area like the plauge.

 

Ultimately it depends if this is a pre NwNII or post NwN II game.

 

Phosphor look up the number of pre orders Dragon Warriors 8 had then talk about mass market appeal

[Camael]

Computer Games

 

    * Strategy (27.1%)

    * Children's (14.5%)

    * Shooter (13.5%)

    * Family Entertainment (9.5%)"

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

those genres are also far more saturated with titles, so the competition is also more fierce. Obsidian's best financial strategy may be just sticking with a nitch market they are good at (RPGs).

 

Also, because of the high platform fees, PC titles can be more profitable despite lower sales numbers

[Eclecticist]

I've yet to see an RTS game work on a console. Personally I'd avoid that area like the plauge.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Apparently Starcraft on the N64 worked quite well.

[Phosphor]

those genres are also far more saturated with titles, so the competition is also more fierce.  Obsidian's best financial strategy may be just sticking with a nitch market they are good at (RPGs). 

 

Also, because of the high platform fees, PC titles can be more profitable despite lower sales numbers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Agreed. The other thing to is that if PC gaming is percieved to be doing so poorly, why are companies like ATI, nVidia, AMD and Intel all in fierce competetion to produce high-end gaming PCs? Obviously it's still a massive industry generating a lot of money, elsewise these companies would be doing something else.

RPGs on the PC have always been a "niche" market; we've never seen RPGs released in the quantiities that shooters, strategy or even family games are (family games have always been a big part of the PC market). Now, the console systems also have that Final Fantasy thing which sells phenomenally well, and may very well bump RPGs up to a "category" on the console charts.

Those percentages of the industry take aren't really meaningful and certainly not condemningl in any particular manner. It does show, however, that both console and PC gaming are big industries and both alive and well.

[Butler]

:cool: I think that they're definitly working on two games, Kotor 3, and NWN 2, the ending for kotor 2 obviously gave out hints in both endings, whether light or dark. IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED IT, TURN AWAY NOW,

i dont want to spoil it for you if you havn't, in the light ending, kreia tells the exile that reven walks somewhere else and that you will find him and join him in the path of destroying the true sith, when you are on the darkside, kreia sais that the true sith is out there, thats why reven went, because they were a threat to his power, so if it is coming out as a flagship title on xbox 2, then they're already making it.

[Monte Carlo]

I've yet to see an RTS game work on a console. Personally I'd avoid that area like the plauge.

 

I fondly remember playing multiplayer Command & Conquer 2 on my old Playstation with my flatmate for hours. Ditto Warcraft.

 

My biggest regret about Xbox ownership is the dearth of decent RTS titles; but for the life of me I can't see why you couldn't do a decent one for it?

 

Go for it Obsidian....lead the way with a junk-resource drive PA RTS on the Xbox2!

 

Cheers

MC

[deganawida]

Ditto Warcraft.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I thought it was just Warcraft II with the expansion that was ported over? Lots of fun, and it was constantly being rented at the video stores in Macon.

 

I think that there was also a Warhammer Fantasy RTS. At least, it was a strategy game, and I believe that it was RT.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I thought it was just Warcraft II with the expansion that was ported over?  Lots of fun, and it was constantly being rented at the video stores in Macon.

 

I think that there was also a Warhammer Fantasy RTS.  At least, it was a strategy game, and I believe that it was RT.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Never played any of them. Prior to the PS2 I only owned one or two console games each generation.

 

There should be two Warhammer RTS games, but I dont know if they ever got a console release.

 

It's quite possible that RTS suffers the same problem I had with FPS for a long time. The controls are so alien to what has become instinct that its just painful to play them.

[Monte Carlo]

The Warhammer PS1 game was called Shadow of the Horned Rat. It was pretty good, actually, and the combat system was very much like the Total War set-up but with a radial in-game menu.

 

Personally, I invested in a PS mouse. Made life much easier.

 

Cheers

MC

[pulp]

Agreed. The other thing to is that if PC gaming is percieved to be doing so poorly, why are companies like ATI, nVidia, AMD and Intel all in fierce competetion to produce high-end gaming PCs? Obviously it's still a massive industry generating a lot of money, elsewise these companies would be doing something else.

 

RPGs on the PC have always been a "niche" market; we've never seen RPGs released in the quantiities that shooters, strategy or even family games are (family games have always been a big part of the PC market).  Now, the console systems also have that Final Fantasy thing which sells phenomenally well, and may very well bump RPGs up to a "category" on the console charts.

 

Those percentages of the industry take aren't really meaningful and certainly not condemningl in any particular manner. It does show, however, that both console and PC gaming are big industries and both alive and well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I'll have to agree with you, but just consider the figures for a moment. Total units sold for consoles numbered at 160.7 units. Now, 8.7% of that (RPG games in consoles) is about 13.98 million units. A large number by any stretch of the imagination, and -- though I do not have figures to back this up -- certainly larger than the market for PC RPGs.

 

Can you imagine devs not salivating over the prospect of making a good, BG2-style RPG for consoles, and having it sell well?

 

I admit, my experience of RPG console titles is fairly limited, but there clearly is a space for another KOTOR-styled RPG console title in the market. Most of the console RPGs I'm seeing coming out in the past 2-3 years are conversions from PC versions, like Arx Fatalis and Morrowind (and in my opinion, they don't port over very well -- controls are whacked as these games appear to have been designed assuming the use of a mouse).

 

And by the above examples, I mean "western" RPG console titles, not the Japanese/Manga inspired ones like Sukoiden or XenoSaga II, or FF.

 

The RPG console titles in the "western" milieu which I have played are KOTOR 1 & 2 and Fable. These games are definitely mass-market, and are dumbed-down, not necessarily for hardcore games (who, I think we all agree, demand more control of in-game situations, from movement to combat, etc.). It'll be interesting to find out just how much money these games made for their respective developers.