Versus Evil announced as Deadfire's publisher

[TheisEjsing]

Personally I don't like Paradox's DLC policy. But be that as it may, the main problem about the partnership is the job they did on Tyranny. It seemed severely lackluster, and on top of that the whole raise price on steam on PoE before the sale is just so stupid. They really didn't expect that to backfire? What short term greed and utter incompetence.

I don't know anything about Versus Evil, but I'm glad Paradox is out of the picture. The only drawback is that Paradox owns the Vampire license, which I really want Obsidian to work with. But overall it feels like a solid move.

[illathid]

 

 

WithPillars, Obsidian did much to promote it and they did it good imo. Updates, presentations etc. I don't know how Paradox helped with that, I didn't spot any difference. Same with Deadfire. They're already doing great by themselves; I don't know how VS Evil's gonna do better promotion-wise.

Aaaanyway... as usual I don't care much about all that; the games are popular, we most probably gonna see more of them with or without publishers and life goes on.

Sure, but those are aimed at the very specific crowd only. I doubt they reach a wider audience than those really interested in Obsidian or PoE.

 

Speculation time - publisher might provide various ads on websites, making deals with outlets to get a word out, reaching to audiences of their other titles. Who knows how much paperwork is needed to publish game globally. I imagine that if the work of a publisher wasn't significant devs wouldn't cooperate with them willingly.

 

 

That's exactly what I meant. Obsidian did lots of updates, presentations, etc. but there wasn't any wider marketing to the wider audience *outside* of that core RPG crowd. That's the part I would've expected the publisher to do, and they didn't really. Tyranny was even worse; there was *NOTHING* to push that game. I'm hoping that Versus Evil will make a bigger ruckus--paying for web ads is a good start for something I'd expect the publisher to handle.

 

 

I saw a bunch of web ads for both PoE and Tyrrany, it could be though that both were narrowly targeted (as I'm pretty squarely in the target market).

[Katarack21]

I saw a few for POE, literally nothing for Tyranny. Tyranny hit the market without making a *sound*.

[Sedrefilos]

Am I the only one remembering them busting my balls with Tyranny and how #evilwon?

Edited September 27, 2017 by Sedrefilos

[Wormerine]

I certainly remember Tyranny being promoted. What I didn't like about it was how confusing the marketing was. I really wasn't sure what this game is all about, and promises they made lead to me being somewhat disappointed with the game. I remember them talking about time constrained, and how you will have to choose what quests you will do and how it will affect your playthrough. And while game does a long way to acknowledge choises you made in "conquest" and opening act the time constrained is nonexistent and you certainly don't have to decide on your priorities.

 

In the end we got a rather traditional RPG, in complexity somewhere between Dragon Age and Pillars, with 4 preplanned scenarios based on choices and an interesting setting. Something I enjoyed very much, but not something I was expecting. i remember the initial reception was rather cold. It made me wait it out until Deadfire campaign started and I felt a strong urge for some RPGing.

[Sedrefilos]

Who said playing evil by default is a good selling promotion? RPGs are about playing whatever you like. Also the "usually in fantasy rpgs you are playing the good vs evil blahblahblah" mentality has been abandoned from like late 90s. It was so annoying hearing them spamming it over nad over to make Tyranny sound special. I tried to think of an rpg I played and it was all about good VS evil. There's none. The game was special, yes, but not just because you played evil. It was because it had some neat spell mechanics and a variety of options. Playing evil, for me, was very annoying and boring, especially at start where I had to deal with all those armies and stuff.

 

You know what I also like? RPGs that don't make me a king or ruler or whatever. Not forcefully, at least. It's so "in" these days. Who said I like power? I'd like to just be an adventurer, by chance or by choice. Maybe I'd like to mess with the powerful, bring them down or something (New Vegas ftw!). It's also stupid. Like I am the head of the power in my domain and I just go adventuring here and there? Meh. I can't forget how stupid felt the idia that when I captured Caed Nua in Pillars, suddenly everyone around my castle acknowleged me as their ruler and payed me taxes :D It was ok to capture the abandoned fort for myself but becoming a ruler unwillingly was just stooopid! :D

Edited September 27, 2017 by Sedrefilos

[daven]

Who said playing evil by default is a good selling promotion? RPGs are about playing whatever you like. Also the "usually in fantasy rpgs you are playing the good vs evil blahblahblah" mentality has been abandoned from like late 90s. It was so annoying hearing them spamming it over nad over to make Tyranny sound special. I tried to think of an rpg I played and it was all about good VS evil. There's none. The game was special, yes, but not just because you played evil. It was because it had some neat spell mechanics and a variety of options. Playing evil, for me, was very annoying and boring, especially at start where I had to deal with all those armies and stuff.

 

You know what I also like? RPGs that don't make me a king or ruler or whatever. Not forcefully, at least. It's so "in" these days. Who said I like power? I'd like to just be an adventurer, by chance or by choice. Maybe I'd like to mess with the powerful, bring them down or something (New Vegas ftw!). It's also stupid. Like I am the head of the power in my domain and I just go adventuring here and there? Meh. I can't forget how stupid felt the idia that when I captured Caed Nua in Pillars, suddenly everyone around my castle acknowleged me as their ruler and payed me taxes :D It was ok to capture the abandoned fort for myself but becoming a ruler unwillingly was just stooopid! :D

Yeah I kind of prefer being a regular adventurer in games, instead of a chosen one/king/commander of an army/etc.

 

In NWN you're just a guy, apparently someone who was talented but just a guy.

[injurai]

Am I the only one remembering them busting my balls with Tyranny and how #evilwon?

 

I did but that's because I was also looking for it. I was a PoE backer after all. The amount of bewildered people on launch day was sizable, and the amount of people that found out way later was too. Most games I don't see that much bewilderment over a game already being out.

[Guest 4ward]

 

i‘ve never understood paradox. Their decision to release cities skylines only through steam was unexpected, i‘d even dare to say paradox. Versus evil, on the other hand, they‘re good in my book.

[rjshae]

The Tyranny promotions seemed to focus on your character "playing evil", which for me was a turn off. I might play the game some day just to see, but the initial impression prior to release wasn't a positive one.

[Valmy]

The Tyranny promotions seemed to focus on your character "playing evil", which for me was a turn off. I might play the game some day just to see, but the initial impression prior to release wasn't a positive one.

 

 

Huh. How did you get that impression? I recall the promotions saying it was a world where the evil overlord won but I do not recall it ever saying you would be evil.

[Wormerine]

 

The Tyranny promotions seemed to focus on your character "playing evil", which for me was a turn off. I might play the game some day just to see, but the initial impression prior to release wasn't a positive one.

 

 

 

Huh. How did you get that impression? I recall the promotions saying it was a world where the evil overlord won but I do not recall it ever saying you would be evil.

True they tag line was "Sometimes evil wins". While it sets the right tone, it doesn't define your role as a character. However, news outlets have painted your role in game as "evil". Whenever it was misinformation on outlets' side or bad communication from Paradox the article titles I see are: "in Tyranny it's good to be bad" and "n Obsidian's new RPG Tyranny you play as a bad guy in a world were evil has won". Which is not untrue. Tyranny is the first game i enjoyed being "bad" as there is more to that than being selfish or mean. Doing a "good" playthrough certainly felt like going against current. Most of the "evil" choices aren't as one sided as they are in other RPGs. You always have a excuse...

[Sedrefilos]

 

The Tyranny promotions seemed to focus on your character "playing evil", which for me was a turn off. I might play the game some day just to see, but the initial impression prior to release wasn't a positive one.

 

 

Huh. How did you get that impression? I recall the promotions saying it was a world where the evil overlord won but I do not recall it ever saying you would be evil.

 

"Playing evil is fun" and "how to play a convicing evil character" was all they were talking about. 

[Varana]

As far as I remember, they usually accompanied the "evil has won" tag line with the info that you'll be playing as one of evil's minions (probably not that word :D).

[Valmy]

 

 

The Tyranny promotions seemed to focus on your character "playing evil", which for me was a turn off. I might play the game some day just to see, but the initial impression prior to release wasn't a positive one.

 

 

Huh. How did you get that impression? I recall the promotions saying it was a world where the evil overlord won but I do not recall it ever saying you would be evil.

 

"Playing evil is fun" and "how to play a convicing evil character" was all they were talking about. 

 

 

Damn well they totally missed the point of that game then. But hey I remember Planescape Torment was marketed as being able to play a guy who is irresistible to the ladies because, and I am serious, you had a magical sex smell or something.

[Katarack21]

Tyranny was definitely about *exploring* evil, but it in no way forced you to *play* evil.

[injurai]

Yeah the campaign was "Evil has won" not "play evil."

[Sedrefilos]

Tyranny was definitely about *exploring* evil, but it in no way forced you to *play* evil.

Yes, at the end, that was what the actual game was all about; but the promotion campaign was how playing evil is cool

 

Edit: And maybe that was the biggest problem for the game. You have the developer (Obsidian) who makes quality rpgs about freedom of choice and exploration of a plethora of themes and on the other hand you got the publisher (Paradox) a company who makes mostly strategy games, with equal freedom of choice but on the strategic layer. There is no ethics or emotions in strategy games, usually. Playing however you like seems fun for them; even playing and almighty overlord who conquers all with brute force. It's part of the fun (even promoted) in a 4X (oh, how I despise that title!) game because everything is seen from a distance, from the eyes of an almighty leader to whom the end justifies the means. Everything is pawn to them.

And don't forget: Tyranny is a Paradox property. So maybe they decided to promote it through their point of view.

Edited September 29, 2017 by Sedrefilos

[FlintlockJazz]

I'm with Sedrefilos on this, the ad campaign I saw for Tyranny gave the impression that you would be evil.  I have no issue with the game being what it was actually about, but the ad campaign failed to get the right impression across. 

[DexGames]

A very interesting Interview with the Man, the Legend, the One, the Only : The Almighty - Feargus Urquhart.

(Too much ? ... Nah, just Credits  )

 

About how the Obsidian Company came up, with every single ones of their games, to collaborate with different Publishers each time.

Lucas Arts, Atari, SEGA, Bethesda, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Paradox Interactive & of course, most recently Versus Evil.

 

From KoTOR II to Pillars Of Eternity :

http://store.steampowered.com/news/externalpost/rps/2127244445195552862

[fced]

Versus Evil have done an Awful work with Deadfire, the game is completely broken on PS4, i hope you will fix it (Very) soon...

[Boeroer]

According to Twitter they are feverishly working on it.