Obsidian is hiring

[funcroc]

Area Designer, Senior/Junior/Intermediate Environment Artists, Concept Artist...

 

Senior Environment Artist

Written by CrimsonDanger

Friday, 05 March 2010 15:17

 

Obsidian Entertainment is looking for talented, self motivated Senior Environment Artist to join our growing team of RPG developers. The Senior Environment Artist position requires a solid understanding of environment workflows, art pipelines, form vs. function and platform limitations. As well as posses an expert knowledge of shape, form, proportions, color and design principles and how they apply to game development.

 

The Senior Artist will assist the Art Director define the visual target of the environments in Obsidian Entertainment's Top Secret Project, as well as help mentor the other Environment Artists and Junior Environment Artist.

Edited March 7, 2010 by funcroc

[Zoma]

Ohhhh. Mystari.

[Humodour]

So, games Obsidian is currently working on

 

- Alpha Protocol (all but finished it seems)

- New Vegas

- Wheel of Time

- Top Secret Project (probably to be announced in a year or so)

- Early stages of yet another project, distinct from the above

 

Give Obsidian a few years and, assuming they don't go bankrupt or get consumed by EA/Bethesda/whoever, they'll be a pretty respectable game studio with quite an array of titles to their name.

[Sannom]

What makes you think that the two last projects you mentioned aren't one and the same ? For me, they only have one project beside Alpha Protocol, New Vegas and helping on the Wheel of Time game... five projects seem a little big for Obsidian

[Humodour]

What makes you think that the two last projects you mentioned aren't one and the same ? For me, they only have one project beside Alpha Protocol, New Vegas and helping on the Wheel of Time game... five projects seem a little big for Obsidian

 

The fact that I've read elsewhere that they have two un-announced projects in the works. This was after Wheel of Time. Assume that is anecdote however, since I can't remember the source.

 

I don't think it's too many at all. Because you need to consider that a) Alpha Protocol is essentially done and staff having been moving off that project for a long time now, b) New Vegas will be out this year, and thus that team also has to go somewhere when it is finished, c) another unannounced project besides this one would be a very preliminary thing - certainly not involving a full complement of staff until other projects are out to market.

 

If we consider that: New Vegas and Alpha Protocol will be out this year, and hence essentially out of the equation, and that Wheel of Time and this Secret Project are in full swing and won't be out for a while, then you've got 2 teams working on two major projects. We know for a fact that Obsidian has around 4 teams, so I doubt half of Obsid would just be resting on their laurels.

 

Also keep in mind that Obsidian has over 100 employees.

[Flouride]

So, games Obsidian is currently working on

 

- Alpha Protocol (all but finished it seems)

- New Vegas

- Wheel of Time

- Top Secret Project (probably to be announced in a year or so)

- Early stages of yet another project, distinct from the above

 

Give Obsidian a few years and, assuming they don't go bankrupt or get consumed by EA/Bethesda/whoever, they'll be a pretty respectable game studio with quite an array of titles to their name.

 

Kinda depends whether it's Wheel of Time project or Top Secret project that is being lead by Feargus. If the "Top Secret Project" is being done by Team Feargus we might see something during this year if not then I suppose we won't hear about it in quite some time. Too bad the Wheel of Time game announcement was so vague, so we don't really know from Obsidian is working on it and how many people are even working on it.

 

According to Bioware there's a stand alone Dragon Age game coming out sometime early next year. Maybe that's the top secret game? Or does Bioware really have 4 teams working on Dragon Age? Since they have the DLC team dishing out DLCs, expansion team and a team doing Dragon Age 2.

[Morgoth]

No friggin' way Obsidian is making a DA sequel. If they want to be recognized in the industry along RPG giants Bethesda and Bioware, they better start making their own IPs.

 

Besides, wouldn't they make a Alpha Protocol sequel if AP1 sells well? They don't have that much manpower to make so many games.

 

F:NV, WoT, AP2(?), Top secret project....too much.

[Flouride]

No friggin' way Obsidian is making a DA sequel. If they want to be recognized in the industry along RPG giants Bethesda and Bioware, they better start making their own IPs.

 

Besides, wouldn't they make a Alpha Protocol sequel if AP1 sells well? They don't have that much manpower to make so many games.

 

F:NV, WoT, AP2(?), Top secret project....too much.

 

Not sequel. A stand alone game like FNV. It's still 3 months until AP hits the stores and unless it's a massive hit on the first week, I don't see Sega going forward with AP2 until they can see if it's even profitable making a 2nd one. By that time they are close to finishing FNV.

Who even knows how many people are working on WoT full time. Not sure how accurate the info on bethesda boards and fallout wikia is about the FNV team but that ain't big either. Something like 30 people, which leaves about 100 to other projects?

 

Also it's not about what they want. They might actually have to take projects that aren't their own IP. With this economy and companies laying off people left and right, they can't really say no to an offer like that if/when their own IPs ain't getting financial backing by publishers.

[Sannom]

But I somehow doubt that Bioware would "give away" one of their license so soon... and especially more skeptical that EA wouldn't try to keep the development of that spin-off in a studio they own.

[Pop]

Not sequel. A stand alone game like FNV. It's still 3 months until AP hits the stores and unless it's a massive hit on the first week, I don't see Sega going forward with AP2 until they can see if it's even profitable making a 2nd one. By that time they are close to finishing FNV.

Who even knows how many people are working on WoT full time. Not sure how accurate the info on bethesda boards and fallout wikia is about the FNV team but that ain't big either. Something like 30 people, which leaves about 100 to other projects?

Before the Aliens Cancellation there were around 100 staffers at Obsidz. Then they cut 20 positions. I don't know if they've built back up from that but 80 employees works pretty well for a 30-30-20 split (FNV-???-WoT).

[Flouride]

Before the Aliens Cancellation there were around 100 staffers at Obsidz. Then they cut 20 positions. I don't know if they've built back up from that but 80 employees works pretty well for a 30-30-20 split (FNV-???-WoT).

 

I see, the last number I've seen was around 130 on Wikipedia from 2008. I think it was on mobygames and/or linkedin as well.

[Flouride]

But I somehow doubt that Bioware would "give away" one of their license so soon... and especially more skeptical that EA wouldn't try to keep the development of that spin-off in a studio they own.

 

True, but if they plan to keep it as a RPG I don't think EA has any studio (other than Bioware) that could make a proper game.

[Humodour]

It's worth noting that Sega is raring for AP2, so assuming AP sells modestly well I think we'll see it.

[Flouride]

It's worth noting that Sega is raring for AP2, so assuming AP sells modestly well I think we'll see it.

 

Well they are all ready coming with up ideas for the sequel so I guess it's safe to say AP2 is one the games Obsidian has on early stages (concept, basic story arch etc.). Unless ofc Sega owns the IP and decided to give to some studio they actually own.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Maybe if they're making Mass Effect 3 they could fix all the horrible plot holes.

[I want teh kotor 3]

You know what I'm about to post...

 

 

K3K3K3K3K3K3K3K3K3K3

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

You know what I'm about to post...

 

 

K3K3K3K3K3K3K3K3K3K3

MAKE IT SO, OBSIDIAN.

 

[lobotomy42]

Also it's not about what they want. They might actually have to take projects that aren't their own IP. With this economy and companies laying off people left and right, they can't really say no to an offer like that if/when their own IPs ain't getting financial backing by publishers.

 

If Bioware were still independent, I'd agree with you, but EA is in charge now, and they've been bleeding financially these past two years. If they do start farming out Dragon Age to other dev teams, you can bet its going to be internal ones. (Dragon Age the Flash game, for example, and Mass Effect the iPhone app.) If you don't have enough money coming in to keep your current people employed, why throw money at another company to keep *theirs* employed?

[Flouride]

If Bioware were still independent, I'd agree with you, but EA is in charge now, and they've been bleeding financially these past two years. If they do start farming out Dragon Age to other dev teams, you can bet its going to be internal ones. (Dragon Age the Flash game, for example, and Mass Effect the iPhone app.) If you don't have enough money coming in to keep your current people employed, why throw money at another company to keep *theirs* employed?

 

Valid points. But do they have any internal teams that can actually make a proper crpg (other than Bioware)? Unless ofc they change the genre. I don't think they would promote iPhone or flash games like this as it would pretty much piss off fans.

 

If not, then there's only few dev teams outside of Bioware that would be able to actually make a proper DA game.

At least to me it would make sense to give the game to a team that is capable of delivering a game that the fans and critics will like, and not spend millions on a team that doesn't really have experience with crpg's. Good way to kill the brand by releasing a crappy game. While the hardcore gamers will know the diffence between a Bioware DA game and EA xxxx studio game, the casual gamers won't.

 

But who knows, maybe Bioware really does have 4 teams working on Dragon Age content alone. And no, I don't think it's highly likely that EA would have given Obsidian a chance to work on DA. The thought crossed my mind as they have quite a lot of past history working together. In this case you can make good agruments why EA wouldn't do that and on the other hand it would make some sense to have outside studio with strong crpg background working on a stand alone game if they really want to cash in on the strong brand they are building. Obviously EA needs the cash...

[RPGmasterBoo]

Its good that they are hiring, these are the areas where their games could use much improvement.

[Morgoth]

Please let Kotor3 finally die....pretty please?

 

Yeah, AP2 or new IP is all good in my book.