Obsidian Fridays

Unlike some of the other developers that I try and keep track of, Obsidian has been relatively quiet over the past few weeks; there hasn’t been a lot of Obsidian-related news.

Of course, when last we checked in with them, the news was a mix of highs and lows. The company had just shuttered a major project, possibly one that was necessary to its long-term survival, and had let a number of employees go. On the other hand, they had also just signed on to help make Wasteland 2, which…well, is awesome.

Actually, it would seem that Obsidian have caught a major case of Kickstarter fever, even going so far as to offer to play the role of matchmaker between aspiring developers and Kickstarter projects in need of team members. Essentially, they would refer internship applicants to various Kickstarter projects, as Chris Avellone explained in both a blog post and a forum post.

Avellone also sat down with both The Critical Bit and Rock, Paper, Shotgun to talk about Wasteland 2 (among other things). The interview with RPS is, I think, notable for how the conversation at one point turns to the topic of whether fan nostalgia for older games — coupled with recent projects that are attempting to revive “old school” games and franchises — are a step backward for RPG gaming. (Avellone’s answer should resonate with Ultima fans.)

Outside of all things Kickstarter and Wasteland, there have been a few other bits of Obsidian-related news worth mentioning. RPGWatch recently published a look at Fallout: New Vegas DLC and Obsidian’s efforts to continue that game’s story through what are, I understand, some truly excellent pieces of additional content. GameBanshee, meanwhile, tripped over an interview between Ripten and THQ’s Danny Bilson, in which the South Park RPG was mentioned. Evidently, it will not be shipped until it is “perfect”…which hopefully means it will ship sometime on this side of “never”.

And Patrick Mills – an Obsidian level designer — recently blogged about the Halbech Rome hub he built for Alpha Protocol, which never made it into the final game.