Kotor2 mentioned at IGN.com

[Outkast007]

BioWare has proven itself to be among the best RPG developers in the business with an impressive portfolio that includes Neverwinter Nights and more importantly (for Xbox owners) Knights of the Old Republic. While the natural next move for BioWare would have seemed to be a sequel to KOTOR, the Canadian developer put the future of that franchise in the hands of burgeoning developer Obsidian Entertainment. Why leave the world of Star Wars and not pursue a sequel to the most critically acclaimed game of 2003? The answer is Jade Empire.

 

Direct quote from IGN article, check out full article here.

 

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/505/505271p1.html

[tripleRRR]

Meh, still waiting for LucasArts or Obsidian to announce what they are working on.

 

 

TripleRRR

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I'd be surprised if it wasn't. The added info that Obsidian's first game is made simulatenousl for console and PC also increase the odds of it being KoTOR2.

[tripleRRR]

True, but I still want to hear it from official sources.

 

 

TripleRRR

[Tigranes]

I wouldn't trust a passing preamble to a jade empire article from a commercial gaming website.

[Gorth]

I still prefer my favourite conspiracy theory, that they were working on BG3 for Atari, and now can't announce it because the license is/was disputed and Atari lost

[Green Lantern]

I think that Obisidian is indeed working on KoToR2, which we should hear confirmation soon given the close arrival of E3.

 

The more interesting question is BG3. Atari is rumored to have something in the works for BG3 with a "major developer". Bioware, the obvious choice, is taking an IP strategy (e.g., Jade Empire) and has *it seems* passed on licensed games (e.g., KoToR) by "partnering" with other developers such as Obsidian.

 

If this is true, then could Obsidian, in partnership with Bioware, be working on BG3? BG3 would be another golden, established franchise, that should prove financially successful due to a built-in audience with greatly reduced development risk, particularly important for a startup like Obisidian. I would personally love to see Obsidian work on BG3, particular with CA, the brilliant lead designer of Torment, on board. One can only hope!

[Cantousent]

My feelings are mixed on that end.

 

I'd rather see Jefferson as BG3. I followed the development of Jefferson and I was quite unhappy to see it get cancelled.

 

Sure, I believe CA is a better developer than Sawyer, at least going by the projects on which they've worked. I'm a huge PS:T fan. I'd love nothing more than to see something like it. ...But Jefferson seemed to have a lot of really solid ideas. It would probably fail to deliever in some respects but, if it managed to come through on even half of what it promised, it looked like it was going to be good. Really good. That would have been the title where Sawyer had sufficient resources to show us what he's got.

 

Now, my gut instinct is that CA and his team can develop a better game than Sawyer and his team (although that's odd, since CA was on Sawyer's team for a time). Still, that doesn't mean Sawyer can't produce a great game. I, for one, would have relished the chance to find out.

 

I'm one of the folks who really enjoyed IWD. I liked it quite a bit. With a little more time and some more resources, who knows what we could expect?

 

No matter what else, I'd like to see what CA does. I can't help but believe that the guy who lead the design team for PS:T has more great ideas in his head. If he can avoid the St. Timmy syndrome, then all will be well.

[Gorth]

I'm one of the folks who really enjoyed IWD.  I liked it quite a bit.  With a little more time and some more resources, who knows what we could expect?

Nice to see, that I'm not the only one who loved IWD, IWD2 even more so (and thats from a Fallout fanboy). I'll look at a barrel the same way again, without wondering whether or not It looks "Smug". If people don't appreciate the humour of the game, their loss. I giggled loudly when my priest of Bane gave a motivating speach to the milita

 

Lets see, what do we know or can at least reasonably assume:

1. Kotor2 will be made by somebody ($)
   
2. BG3 will be made by somebody ($)
   
3. Somebody is going to slap the Fallout3 tag on some game ($)
   
4. Bioware is currently fed up with other peoples IP, but working on some pc game (Jade Empire?)
   
5. Interplay doesn't do PC games in the immediate future (without influence)
   
6. Atari has PR representatives that get "silenced" for mentioning BG3/NWN2 (owns interesting licenses, burnt their hands on Troika and crpgs)
   

Feel free to add to the list, an interesting puzzle. What I *would* like to know is, where did the Kotor2/Obsidian rumour originate from ? Never seen anything even "semi-official". The only press releases so far suggested that there was a thing going between Bioware and Obsidian, which somebody here (can't remember who) tried to downplay. Has anybody here ever seen anything to actually suggest that it's Kotor2, or does everybody assume that it is so because "everybody else" think it is so ? Kind of like a mob mentality when people start thinking collectively

[Atreides]

Who'd have thought the world of computer game politics would be so intruiging?

[Green Lantern]

Hey Eldar, good to see you.

 

I too followed Jefferson's development and was extremely excited about J.E.'s direction and hints about the game and subsequently extremely saddened by the project's sudden permanent "hold" status.

 

Certainly, I would love to see Jefferson come out, as I too greatly enjoyed the whole IWD series. However, I just don't see much hope of Jefferson being released in any sort of fashion as originally envisioned by J.E.

 

As such, I am hopeful that CA and company can create a new BG3 in place of Jefferson. Such a game would undoubtably be quite different from Jefferson, but I think that the quality would still be high. As to which which version of BG3 would be better, well, I don't think that is a question than can ever be answered.

[MrBrown]

Feel free to add to the list, an interesting puzzle. What I *would* like to know is, where did the Kotor2/Obsidian rumour originate from ? Never seen anything even "semi-official". The only press releases so far suggested that there was a thing going between Bioware and Obsidian, which somebody here (can't remember who) tried to downplay. Has anybody here ever seen anything to actually suggest that it's Kotor2, or does everybody assume that it is so because "everybody else" think it is so ? Kind of like a mob mentality when people start thinking collectively

I think it was simply assumed when Bioware mentioned (on a press release on their site) that they get more offers from publishers than they can handle, and that they gave one of these to Obsidian. This was shortly after KotOR came out, I think.

[Gorth]

Feel free to add to the list, an interesting puzzle. What I *would* like to know is, where did the Kotor2/Obsidian rumour originate from ? Never seen anything even "semi-official". The only press releases so far suggested that there was a thing going between Bioware and Obsidian, which somebody here (can't remember who) tried to downplay. Has anybody here ever seen anything to actually suggest that it's Kotor2, or does everybody assume that it is so because "everybody else" think it is so ? Kind of like a mob mentality when people start thinking collectively 

I think it was simply assumed when Bioware mentioned (on a press release on their site) that they get more offers from publishers than they can handle, and that they gave one of these to Obsidian. This was shortly after KotOR came out, I think.

Ahh, I see

 

So it might have something to do with the timing of the press release, while everybody was having Kotor on their mind. Isn't the human brain a funny thing ?

 

Seriously though, Bioware have had a hand in most of the commercially successful crpgs the last 6-7 years, most of which (BG/NWN IP's) now have Atari as publisher. Does anybody know if the Lucas site/boards ever mentioned *anything* about a sequel ?

[Dhruin]

If I read correctly, some of you seem to be suggesting there is some doubt that BioWare and Obsidian are working on something.

 

BioWare issued a press release saying they were "exploring opportunities" in August '03.

 

There are other references but that should do. Just in case anyone thinks "exploring" means they're not working with BioWare on this project, from Gamespot

 

GS: Is Obsidian's upcoming collaboration with BioWare an entirely new RPG, or will it be a title we've never seen before?

 

FU: We continue to work closely with BioWare and our publisher on our current project. We also couldn't be happier with the support BioWare has given us on our current project and I hope that in the future we will be able to collaborate on other projects.

 

The first mention of KotOR2 by major media was IGN in October. While it's based on rumour they quote a second press release from BioWare about Obsidian:

 

A collaboration with BioWare gives Obsidian the opportunity to explore development projects on established game franchises with proven technology and brand loyalty from the fan community.

 

So...Obsidian's current project is working with BioWare (Feargus, Gamespot interview) on an established game franchise with brand loyalty. Oh, and it's PC/Console.

 

BioWare's only established game franchises that are both PC and console are KotOR and MDK. I guess it's theoretically possible Obsidian is porting NWN2 to console or something silly like that...but they ain't.

 

On the items in Gorth's list, don't hold your breath for BG3 (how was Grok silenced, BTW?) and definitely don't hold your breath for FO3. IMO.

[Cantousent]

I don't believe Fallout 3 will ever see the light of day. Most of the Fallout faithful seem to have come to the same conclussion. Hence, they don't even bother railing against Interplay. The Interplay fora still get a lot of traffic for popular titles from the past, such as Baldur's gate 2, but there's very little traffic regarding upcoming titles. Of course, that's because there aren't any announced titles on the horizon.

 

If the Fallout fans, whom I like more now than I did even six months ago, hate Interplay, then who can blame them? Some folks might suggest that Interplay did the right thing in foresaking Fallout, but the company didn't get into such a bind by demonstrating solid planning in the past. FO:BoS might have been a commercial success. I don't know. I don't even care. Once it came to light that we couldn't expect any new CRPG titles from Interplay, I stopped looking for news regarding upcoming titles. I don't wish any ill will on Interplay, but I sure as hell don't wish anything good for them either. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 was a good enough title but, as my exposure to x-box titles in general has increased, my eagerness for BG:DA titles has decreased.

 

Interplay wouldn't matter one way or the other anyhow if it weren't for the fact that they've held so doggedly onto the Fallout franchise over the years that I'm sure the rights to it will die with the company. I disagree with most Fallout fans in that I'm not excited by the idea of a Troika Fallout. In fact, the only company I'd like to see make Fallout 3 at this point, now that Black Isle is gone, is Obsidian. CA has, to my mind, just as much legitimacy in regards to Fallout as Troika. He was the lead design on my all time favorite game. He doesn't seem so enthralled with himself that he'll make the same sorts of mistakes that Troika makes.

 

...And the end of our little intellectual autoerotism is that it doesn't matter because the least likely thing on the horizon is another Fallout game. If I'm completely wrong or naive in regards to this, good. I'd like nothing more than to eat crow.

[mkreku]

1. Atari has PR representatives that get "silenced" for mentioning BG3/NWN2 (owns interesting licenses, burnt their hands on Troika and crpgs)
   

Ok, Atari is a huge company. I am sure one little failed attempt with a CRPG won't stop them from using their licenses ever again. I'm not even sure that TOEE was a big failure sales wise..

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I'm wondering this myself. I thought ToEE wasn't as well received as say, Arcanum, but i'm not aware of actual sales figures.

[Drakron]

Atari is publishing PAL .Hack// series so I hardly consider they got their hands "burn" by RPGs.

 

I serious doubt its SWKotOR 2 simply because they all point at BioWare giving it to OE and we all know that Star Wars NEVER leaves Lucas companies and last time I checked its BioWare not LucasBioWare ...

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Publishers do a lot of stuff. Look at Interplay when they were top of the class. They did RPGs, but it wasnt all they did.

 

Atari are not going to quit on D&D just because Troika screwed up on one game.

 

Stormfront are doing Demonstone for them for one thing.

[Gorth]

I didn't mean to imply that Atari has given up on D&D crpgs (too much $ involved), only that they might try another developer for the next game.

[Dhruin]

I serious doubt its SWKotOR 2 simply because they all point at BioWare giving it to OE and we all know that Star Wars NEVER leaves Lucas companies and last time I checked its BioWare not LucasBioWare ...

While LucasArts owns Star Wars, BioWare would own the engine and other assets from KotOR. Clearly, a deal with Obsidian would involve all the parties. There is a clear precedent for this sort of situation. I'm sure you would agree that WotC are very protective of the D&D licence, right? But the first "official" mention of an out-of-house expansion for NWN (SoU was farmed out to Floogate) was an interview with BioWare at Gamespot in 2002.

 

When the official announcement comes it will have LucasArts name at the top...in the meantime it isn't even unusual for BioWare to announce they are working with Obsidian just because it's a licensed property.

[One2Many]

>snip<

On the items in Gorth's list, don't hold your breath for BG3 (how was Grok silenced, BTW?) and definitely don't hold your breath for FO3. IMO.

Grok was silenced by having the entire thread wherein he made his April Fool's declaration mysteriously deleted. Gosh they just couldn't find it and don't know whatcould have happened to it...maybe it "timed out"(somwhat unlikely if they meant it expired since there are threads on that board posted before the game was released)or was accidentally deleted....sigh....

 

but i totally agree that atari will not abandon the rpg genre and that someone somewhere right now is looking at a proposal to develop a game called BG3.

 

E3 should be interesting this year.

[Dhruin]

Ah...I hadn't noticed the thread had gone. Bit of a waste of time since it was already widely reported and IGN posted a "response" from Grok.

[Drakron]

While LucasArts owns Star Wars, BioWare would own the engine and other assets from KotOR.

 

The less I see from the s***ty SWKotOR engine, the better.

 

Not that matters much, everything on SWKotOR except engine and code is own by LucasArts.

 

Clearly, a deal with Obsidian would involve all the parties. There is a clear precedent for this sort of situation. I'm sure you would agree that WotC are very protective of the D&D licence, right?

 

Wrong, Hasbro (and TSR -They Sue Regulary- before) are and its a diferent deal since electronic rights belong to Atari as ALL Star Wars licenses belong to Lucas companies, even the Star Wars PnP RPGs have the little "LucasBooks" logo.

 

Point is BioWare have no involvement of Star Wars games besides of any that LucasArts decides to have BioWare develop, they are not needed as Id software (creators of the Quake 3 engine) was not needed for Jedi Knight Outcast/Academy if the next Star Wars game was using a BioWare engine.

 

But the first "official" mention of an out-of-house expansion for NWN (SoU was farmed out to Floogate) was an interview with BioWare at Gamespot in 2002.

 

Irrelevent.

 

When the official announcement comes it will have LucasArts name at the top...in the meantime it isn't even unusual for BioWare to announce they are working with Obsidian just because it's a licensed property.

 

That press release was so vague they could be join working on a Sakura Card Capture spin off hentai game.

[Dhruin]

We'll find out how incisive those arguments are in just a few weeks.