Obsidian Entertainment, a studio now 22 years deep in the gaming industry, is hardly a newcomer. With a rich legacy behind it, including beloved titles like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, the team still carries the same passion and commitment that sparked its inception.
And now, with Avowed, their most ambitious RPG yet, the studio is looking ahead with an ambitious goal: to celebrate its 100th anniversary in style. While many might expect the studio to announce plans for an epic blockbuster or a grand, high-stakes project to mark this milestone, its plans are more grounded and calculated than most would have expected.
Obsidian wants to play the long game to reach that 100th-year
At the D.I.C.E. Summit (reported via PC Gamer), Obsidian’s VPs, Marcus Morgan and Justin Britch, unveiled their ambitious yet surprisingly practical blueprint for the studio’s 100-year journey.
In a world where every studio wants to hit it big with one monumental release, Obsidian is choosing the road less traveled, but it’s not wondering about the what-ifs. The studio plans to stay lean and focus on manageable, realistic sales expectations.
Instead of investing everything into one high-risk, high-reward title, it plans to avoid the corporate rat race of inflated budgets and unsustainable hype. Rather than putting their future on the line with a game that could either break records or crash and burn, both VPs were focused on steady progress.
Are we serious? … Yes.
This might be one of the freshest approaches in recent times. The studio wants to focus on crafting well-made games with the passionate and dedicated team it has built. Instead of trying to reach impossible goals, it wants to provide dependable, thoughtful experiences to the players.
This might seem like a bland approach to many, but it’s about being realistic about what can be achieved. This mindset ensures that each title strikes the right balance between quality and investment. Obsidian’s leaders believe it’s the key to ensuring their studio’s survival and prosperity over the long haul.
A measured pace in a fast-paced industry
What makes Obsidian’s approach stand out most is how different it is from other studios. The prime example is Bethesda, the powerhouse behind The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, which often swings for the fences with massive budgets, expansive open worlds, and colossal expectations.
While fan expectations are one thing, the studio places enormous pressure on itself, which is a risky strategy. This risk can lead to major disappointments, like Fallout 76, or, more recently, Starfield, which, though not a colossal failure, still didn’t meet some of the high expectations.
While Bethesda might focus on creating the next Skyrim-sized hit, Obsidian is sitting on the side avoiding the pressure by focusing on creating manageable games, ensuring that each project stays innovative and within its means.
This small but focused approach allows it to continue releasing games at a consistent pace without being held to the pressure of outsized expectations. While its recent title Avowed is being compared to Skyrim (based on reviews and trailers), it is not actively chasing that goal.
By staying small, realistic, and focusing on consistent, mild successes, Obsidian is carving out a path to outlast its competitors in the long run. It may be a slow, deliberate journey, but one that could lead to an enduring legacy in the gaming world.
In the end, it is important to remember that sometimes the most lasting victories don’t not from giant leaps, but from carefully timed steps that, over time, prove to be far more impactful.
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