Why wouldn't Obsidian make a XBLA rpg game?

[yoomazir]

I was browsing in the xbox live arcade game, picking some amazing games ( Darwinia+ & Explosion Man) and it struck to me that there's wasn't enough rpg games over there.

I think Obsidian could make, in their spare time, a good little 2D rpg game like Fallout or Arcanum and release it on PSN & XBLA. I am pretty sure that the sales will cover up the expenses and even make some profit for Obsidian.

I mean, look at the sales of these games, Castle Crasher or Trials, they're selling like pancakes! I say there's potential over there for a good rpg.

Anyway, this was just my 2 cents.

[Pop]

That's management's call. They don't have an infinite number of staff, so it would mainly be a matter of picking out however many (probably a small staff of 10 or so) you'd need to fashion an XBLA game.

[Tigranes]

I wonder how the costs of making a 'good little 2D RPG' these days for the XBLA compare to doing it for the PC ten years ago, though?

[BicycleOfDeath]

Could port Icewind Dale or the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series... Well, not sure about the first one. Don't they have size restrictions on the PSN and XBLA games?

[WorstUsernameEver]

Could port Icewind Dale or the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series... Well, not sure about the first one. Don't they have size restrictions on the PSN and XBLA games?

 

I'm not sure how they could make the interface work on the consoles though.

[BicycleOfDeath]

The Dark Alliance series was a console Action-RPG dungeon crawl beat'em up kind of game. As for the interface working on consoles, I don't think it'd be much of a challenge at all. You have a bunch of buttons to bind to as it is, you'd just have to hit people with a bat that complain they have to use an analog stick for a mouse pointer.

[Amentep]

The first Dark Alliance game was made by Snowblind Studios, and the second was made using Snowblind's engine. The Icewind Dale games used Bioware's infinity engine. And the D&D License is with Atari and all the games were published by Interplay. Which I think would make porting the DA (or IWD or PST) games an extreme unlikelyhood.

[BicycleOfDeath]

True, though, Obsidian does own Icewind Dale and the Dark Alliance series. I wonder if anything is ever going to be done with them. Well, at least, I'm under the impression that Obsidian owns those rights.

[Gorth]

True, though, Obsidian does own Icewind Dale and the Dark Alliance series. I wonder if anything is ever going to be done with them. Well, at least, I'm under the impression that Obsidian owns those rights.

Disclaimer: Based entirely on fuzzy memory.

 

I think what Interplay and Obsidian worked out back then was the assets, not the brands. That is why we have IWD avatars etc. on the forums.

[Pidesco]

Like Gorth says, Obsidian only owns the Icewind Dale assets, as opposed to the actual license.

[BicycleOfDeath]

And assets are what was/were and license is what will/would be?

[Gorth]

And assets are what was/were and license is what will/would be?

Assets can f.x. be sound, music, gfx, concept art, code, scripts an so on. Somebody might be able to explain better what a license covers. Usually it seems to be the right to market something as being something specific? E.g. somebody owns the D&D IP. A company creates D&D artwork for whatever reason. Said company may own the rights to the artwork, but they can't sell it as D&D artwork without getting the permission from the IP owner (licensing it) to sell it as D&D Artwork. Stuff like that (IP's, Branding, Trademarks etc.) can be messy and involves many lawyers. No idea who holds the rights to sell Icewind Dale games these days, Hasbro?

[Miller the Killer]

I would like to see something like that but RPG's are not something you whip up in a month or two.

[Morgoth]

I think it was Josh that once expressed his interest to make a low-budged hardcore- RPG for XBLA/Steam or something. Nothing too cutting edge, just something that focuses on the mechanics. A good ol' TB CRPG.

[Walsingham]

I agree that there seems an excessive and frankly semi-retarded emphasis on graphics, but if you think about it, something like Baldur's Gate had HUGE amounts of actual content. Dialogue, maps etc. Creating something which Obs would consider good in content terms might just as well be a full premier league project, with all teh graphics added on.

 

Not sure if that made any sense. I need some sleep.

[Nathaniel Chapman]

Good question. Why wouldn't we?

[mkreku]

Maybe as a side project for a small team of hand picked, dedicated guys?