Paradox Interactive today revealed the trailer for the next game they’ll be releasing from Obsidian Entertainment. Called Tyranny, it begins with the premise that — in its fantasy RPG setting, which I gather is new — the dark lord/evil demigod/big bad won the day. PC Gamer explains it handily:

Tuesday at GDC, Obsidian and Paradox Interactive announced their new RPG, Tyranny. Tyranny is set in a fantasy world that recently suffered through a massive conflict between good and evil. As the name hints, evil has triumphed, and the character you play actually fought on the side of evil as the subordinate of Kyros the Overlord. You’re not one of the good guys, in other words. Have a look at the brief teaser above, and here’s a quote from the official website:

“You are the judge and executioner of Kyros’ law, acting under the watchful eye of the Overlords Archon of Justice, Tunon the Adjudicator. Your words shape the lives of thousands. Will you use that power to bring justice and inspire loyalty? Or will you bring fear and cruelty to the beaten people of the Tiers?”

A few screenshots have been released; here’s one:

No word on what the purple crystals do.

Honestly, I’m really feeling very meh on this one. Dark fantasy isn’t really my thing to begin with, and the Infinity Engine aesthetic is an additional turn-off. I gather that this game is what became of the cancelled RPG that Obsidian were working on for Microsoft — North Carolina was its codename, and I think the original title was Stormlands. They evidently repurposed a lot of the planned content for the game, and pitched the idea to Paradox Interactive.

The Paradox-Obsidian partnership happened around two years ago, and presumably Tyranny has been in the works since shortly thereafter. No official release date for the game has been announced, although it is apparently expected to drop this year.

Official website here, if you want more information.