Could Bethesda outsource Fallout to Obsidian?

[Morgoth]

King's what?

[Hurlshort]

Adventure games found a way to revive themselves a bit recently, so maybe isometric TB games are next.

Isn't that what King's Bounty is supposed to be?

 

King's Bounty and HoMM are a bit different than Fallout: Tactics, Jagged Alliance, or Xcom. Not that they aren't great, but I would call them strategy games, whereas my examples are squad based tactical games.

[Maria Caliban]

"I didn't realize you had Fallout 3? I'd love to hear your opinions of it."

 

I don't. But, I use common sense to choose what agmes I find worthy of my money. From solid long term research, I've determined that FO3 sucks like other Bethesda games and isn't worth full price.

 

Volourn does magic tricks! Did you see that one?

 

Instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, he pulled an opinon out of his backside.

[Morgoth]

That's why he's called Magical Volo!

[Lare Kikkeli]

Alright Volo has now lost his rights to post in any Fallout 3 thread.

[Magister Lajciak]

King's what?

 

If you like old-school, isometric, turn-based RPG/strategy hybrids, you owe it to yourself to check out King's Bounty: The Legend

 

Review: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/battle-lord/912879p1.html

 

Demo: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/battle-lord/914589p1.html

[Magister Lajciak]

@Lajciak

That's what I meant. Van Buren, gameplay wise, but with a newer engine.

 

OK, fair enough - it wasn't clear to me from your original post on the matter.

[Lare Kikkeli]

Why on earth would Beth outsource a lucrative IP they spent millions for, after making a GOTY-quality game that has gotten pretty much universal praise? And to make an old-fashioned niche market game by a studio that has a kind of spotty track record? SURE, THAT WILL HAPPEN.

[Bokishi]

Obsidian making Fallout sounds awesome, since it was originally theirs back in Black Isle, but still let's get real, no ones gonna buy an old school isometric version for the computer. Maybe for handheld devices though!

[Lare Kikkeli]

You know what would be cool? If MS made a handheld with a Windows-based OS and touchscreen that would support old Windows game. Then a new isometric Fallout would be commercially viable. Play BG2 and the Fallouts on the train to work!

 

edit: I realise that this would be possible with one of them new super small notebooks, but hey touchscreen support and MS backing it & making games would broaden the audience and thus give it more support.

Edited November 4, 2008 by Lare Kikkeli

[Hurlshort]

Why does Obsidian have a spotty track record? They've released three successful titles. They might not have been huge blockbusters, but I doubt they failed to meet expected sales numbers.

[Magister Lajciak]

I don't think it is likely to happen for the commercial reasons already pointed out. Fallout is now Bethesda's baby.

[GreasyDogMeat]

Call me a treacherous heathen if you must, but I'm so absolutely satisfied by Fallout 3 that I'd prefer further Fallout games continue in the FPS/RPG hybrid genre over a return to turn based. At least as long as they can maintain the quality of the role playing and combat. In fact, I wish Bethesda would just dump the Elder Scrolls to some other development studio and focus entirely on Fallout games.

 

Heh, my main hope before the release of Fallout 3 was that it would be at the very least, enjoyable without mods which Oblivion failed at. F3 has completely surpassed all of my expectations so far.

Edited November 4, 2008 by GreasyDogMeat

[Hurlshort]

Call me a treacherous heathen if you must, but I'm so absolutely satisfied by Fallout 3 that I'd prefer further Fallout games continue in the FPS/RPG hybrid genre over a return to turn based. At least as long as they can maintain the quality of the role playing and combat. In fact, I wish Bethesda would just dump the Elder Scrolls to some other development studio and focus entirely on Fallout games.

 

Heh, my main hope before the release of Fallout 3 was that it would be at the very least, enjoyable without mods which Oblivion failed at. F3 has completely surpassed all of my expectations so far.

 

I agree, although I think they should develop an ES game before every Fallout game. That way they can make a ton of huge mistakes in the ES game and correct them for the Fallout game.

[Volourn]

"Volourn does magic tricks! Did you see that one?

 

Instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, he pulled an opinon out of his backside."

 

Wrong. Again, called research. reading interviews, prss releases, previews, reviews, watching vieos, reading FO3 threads from actual gamers, and the like are all about research. I do this for all games I might be interested in. With this research, I've successfully determined that FO3 isn't worth full p0irce; but I *mighT* get it when the price lowers.

 

 

"Alright Volo has now lost his rights to post in any Fallout 3 thread."

 

The cool thing is I haven't relaly posted much in FO3 threads, and this isn't a FO3 thread, btw. It's a 'Obsidian doing a FO game' thread.

 

 

"Why does Obsidian have a spotty track record? They've released three successful titles. They might not have been huge blockbusters, but I doubt they failed to meet expected sales numbers."

 

Well.. According to LA, KOTOR2 didn't make their sale expecations hence why they won't allow (currently) Obsidian to make a KOTOR3 instead deciding on a MMORPG so while KOTOR2 did sell reasonably well, it surely didn't meet LA's expecations and that's what matters.

[Hurlshort]

"Why does Obsidian have a spotty track record? They've released three successful titles. They might not have been huge blockbusters, but I doubt they failed to meet expected sales numbers."

 

Well.. According to LA, KOTOR2 didn't make their sale expecations hence why they won't allow (currently) Obsidian to make a KOTOR3 instead deciding on a MMORPG so while KOTOR2 did sell reasonably well, it surely didn't meet LA's expecations and that's what matters.

 

That's interesting, I hadn't hard that before. It's a shame.

[Magister Lajciak]

"Why does Obsidian have a spotty track record? They've released three successful titles. They might not have been huge blockbusters, but I doubt they failed to meet expected sales numbers."

 

Well.. According to LA, KOTOR2 didn't make their sale expecations hence why they won't allow (currently) Obsidian to make a KOTOR3 instead deciding on a MMORPG so while KOTOR2 did sell reasonably well, it surely didn't meet LA's expecations and that's what matters.

 

That's interesting, I hadn't hard that before. It's a shame.

 

I have never heard that before either. Any sources?

[Magister Lajciak]

Call me a treacherous heathen if you must, but I'm so absolutely satisfied by Fallout 3 that I'd prefer further Fallout games continue in the FPS/RPG hybrid genre over a return to turn based. At least as long as they can maintain the quality of the role playing and combat. In fact, I wish Bethesda would just dump the Elder Scrolls to some other development studio and focus entirely on Fallout games.

 

Heh, my main hope before the release of Fallout 3 was that it would be at the very least, enjoyable without mods which Oblivion failed at. F3 has completely surpassed all of my expectations so far.

 

I agree, although I think they should develop an ES game before every Fallout game. That way they can make a ton of huge mistakes in the ES game and correct them for the Fallout game.

 

Hahaha - great plan!

[Volourn]

Common sense. And, 'rumour's, 'myths', and 'innuendo'. Though LA hasn't flat out said this.

 

First off, this isn't to say KOTOR2 didn't sell. It did.

 

However, we know this:

 

1. Obsidian wants to make KOTOR3. Mr. U, and company have stated in interviews they want to make KOTOR3.

 

2. LA flat out turned them down (at least for now).

 

3. LA actually was in the process of developing KOTOR3 in house before they scrapped it.

 

4. they now have BIO making the MMO version of 'KOTOR3'.

 

5. There were rumblings that LA wans't all that pleased with the criticism that KOTOR3 (bothd eserved and undeserved), and that while KOTOR2 did sell; it wans't nearly enough to make they excited for an Obsidian developed sequel.

 

And, yeah, LA hasn't come out and publically smacked down Obsidian (not really professional to do so); but really reading between the lines there has to be a reason or reasons why LA won't allow Obsidian to make KOTOR3. And, since we know LA is about money there is only one logicla reason. Afterall, Atari doens't seem to have a problem with obsidian making NWN2 expansions so obviously they were/are happy with NWN2's financial performance.

[mkreku]

Damn, your backside holds a lot of 'opinion'. You must have a really large backside.

[Slowtrain]

Call me a treacherous heathen if you must, but I'm so absolutely satisfied by Fallout 3 that I'd prefer further Fallout games continue in the FPS/RPG hybrid genre over a return to turn based. At least as long as they can maintain the quality of the role playing and combat. In fact, I wish Bethesda would just dump the Elder Scrolls to some other development studio and focus entirely on Fallout games.

 

Heh, my main hope before the release of Fallout 3 was that it would be at the very least, enjoyable without mods which Oblivion failed at. F3 has completely surpassed all of my expectations so far.

 

 

My hope is that they continue to evaluate where their games suceed and fail and then make each new iteration of both franchises better. If ES5 coughs up the same bloody lung that was Oblivion and complely ignores all the improvements that have been made in FO3, then that will be really pathetic. Right now, I am expecting the next ES game to be much much better than Oblivion.

[Volourn]

If I'm full of crap as you say then explian to me why Obsidian isn't making KOTOR3 when it's obvious they wanted to badly. Heck, they admitted to beg... err... asking LA fror them to make KOTOR3.

 

Fact of the matter is if KOTOR2 was as successful as LA wanted it to be, Obsidian would be working on KOTOR3 right now... or it might even be released.

 

*shrug*

[Gorth]

Fact of the matter is if KOTOR2 was as successful as LA wanted it to be, Obsidian would be working on KOTOR3 right now... or it might even be released.

Not necessarily a fact. Maybe they just got greedy and wanted to find the holy grail of money printing and decided that their not limitless funds would give better ROI per dollar in such an enterprise (a MMO game)?

 

It "seems" like every publisher wants a piece of the MMO cake these days. Bioware ended up with no less than TWO publishers with previous MMO experience (LA and EA).

[Volourn]

LA has no problems publishing single player games. So, it's not just the MMO craze - espicially since their last MMO didn't have a nice ending so the fact that they're willing to try a second time instead of making a second seqeuel to a 'successful' series says a lot about how KOTOR2 not meeting their expecations (even though it did sell reasonably well).

 

As for cost, don't forget that it probably costs LA more to hire BIO/EA to develop KOTOR MMORPG than it would have to hire Obsidian to develop KOTOR3 hence even less a share of a pie.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Volourn

[Gorth]

Heh, makes you wonder what they *did* expect from something that was give the terms and conditions of an expansion pack.