Published , by Charles Singletary Jr
Published , by Charles Singletary Jr
Anonymous sources have revealed that Microsoft is getting close to finalizing a deal to acquire Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Allegedly, the deal is "90%" finished and that it is a matter of "when, not if."
This news from Kotaku comes hot on the heels of longreads editor David Craddock's extensive look Obsidian and the Infinity Engine era of RPGS in Beneath a Starless Sky. It also follows a move that saw a handful of other quality studios absorbed into the company. During E3 2018, Microsoft announced the acquisition of multiple studios alongside the creation of Initiative Games. Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Playground Games, and Compulsion Games all bring experience with Forza Horizon, Hellblade, DmC, State of Decay 2, and We Happy Few to the company.
In addition to the well-received Pillars of Eternity series, Obsidian Entertainment is also responsible for Tyranny, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, and more. The Xbox Game Pass and newly announced Project xCloud platforms take Microsoft another step closer to treating gaming as a service, and these acquired studios could end up on the front lines of the movement with their projects alongside already established first-party games like the upcoming Halo Infinite.
We'll update this story as more information is made available. Stay tuned to Shacknews.