Earlier this week, it was revealed that Obsidian would be working on an all-new Fallout title, much to the jubilation of post-apocalyptic fans worldwide. Obsidian was the name behind 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas, often considered the best game in the entire two-decade-old series.
However, the revelation, paired with the mass XBOX layoffs and other bouts of turbulence, prompted many to make their assumptions and musings about Oblivion. There were claims that the studio’s stock had faltered over the years and that an Avowed sequel was canceled to make room for Fallout, but in a new post, a director at the firm has discredited all of the above.
Obsidian Isn’t The Same Studio It Was 20 Years Ago
The news that Obsidian is making a new Fallout game should fill people with glee, because it was this studio that brought to life New Vegas more than 15 years ago. It’s also a saving grace, as, at this rate, Bethesda Game Studios isn’t going to make a new Fallout game for another decade.
However, the recent slate of titles from Obsidian has some worried that the studio doesn’t have the chops to do an open-world, post-apocalyptic game justice. Most were looking to Avowed, a divisive RPG that split the community around a year and a half ago.
In a post on LinkedIn, Brandon Adler, titled as a ‘Game Director on Unannounced at Obsidian Entertainment’, wrote:
Another difficult aspect is having to see a bunch of cold take artists coming out of the woodwork to talk about what Obsidian is or what it isn’t. The number of times I’ve seen people, with no understanding of who has worked on our previous games or what they contributed, talk about how Obsidian isn’t who they used to be… is staggering. Most of the time they are not just wrong, but spreading an enormous amount of misinformation.
He suggested that the folks in directorate roles at Obsidian now are mostly the same as they were back then, and that the company’s lineage is ‘pretty clear’ throughout history.
Adler then said:
Is Obsidian the same as it was 20 years ago? No, of course not. Nothing stays the same. But the DNA at Obsidian is the same as it always was. The same DNA that created KotOR, New Vegas, NWN2, and Stick of Truth.
Just remember, when you are seeing people spouting off about Obsidian, running their mouths about who we are now vs. what we were then, you are listening to someone crow about something with zero insight into how a game is made and who contributed to our previous games.
These days, there’s a hell of a lot of hearsay and conjecture that makes its way into the public realm, and it’s far too often perpetuated by those who hear a rumor in a corridor somewhere or get passed on a little tidbit of water-cooler talk. In most cases, we see comments pushed into the realm simply because someone has a bit of clout, even if the comments they’ve made are loose as all hell.
‘I heard from a buddy who knows someone who works in this office, and they might have heard something as they walked past a meeting room,’ kind of talk. And then, all of a sudden, it becomes gospel.
Are you eager to see what Obsidian can do with Fallout? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more information from Insider Gaming, read about Battlefield 6 Battle Pass items returning later for a price. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Comments