josh-sawyer
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Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity 'looking good' for winter 2014
Pillars of Eternity can now be expected by winter 2014, Obsidian revealed in a forum update. The developer announced its delay last week following its initial projected launch of spring 2014. It was delayed due to the increasing scope of the game following its generous funding. The game formerly known as Project Eternity was funded on Kickstarter in October 2012, earning a whopping $3.9 million. Junior Producer Rose Gomez's forum post this week noted that the developer will not pursue any more stretch goals for the project, which still accepts pledges on the game's site. Project lead Josh Sawyer also noted last week that the developer wasn't planning on announcing a specific release window after its delay, saying that because Obsidian isn't a publisher, it didn't "have to." He added that "virtually nothing good comes from us releasing a date before we're very confident in it." [Image: Obsidian Entertainment]
Pillars of Eternity delayed, devs cite unexpected outpouring of cash
Despite earlier claims that Obsidian's Kickstarter-funded roleplaying epic, Pillars of Eternity, would be released in the Spring of this year, the developer is now backing away from that timeframe, saying the game's current scope simply won't allow for it. "When we started with a million-dollar budget and a relatively modest game with five classes, that was assuming if we get $1 million we can make this game and we'll probably get it done by April," project lead Josh Sawyer told Eurogamer. "We got almost four times as much money and that's a much bigger game, and that doesn't mean that immediately we just dump four times as many people on it and it also gets done in April. There's a lot more stuff to do." While Sawyer notes that "more than half" of the game's content has been completed (if not polished), he's hesitant to offer a new timeframe for the game's release. "[U]ntil we get really close to releasing the game we don't want a specific release window, because we're not a publisher, we don't have to! Virtually nothing good comes from us releasing a date before we're very confident in it." [Image: Obsidian Entertainment]
Interview: Josh Sawyer on Fallout: New Vegas
Imagine going to work on "Van Buren," the original Fallout 3, as a designer for Black Isle Studios, only to see the title canceled due to parent company Interplay's financial problems. Then, imagine Bethesda buying the Fallout 3 license and developing an entirely different game, which goes on to win multiple awards and accolades. Now, imagine you're brought back into the franchise, as a designer for Obsidian Entertainment, to create a sequel to Bethesda's popular title. Preposterous, you say? Josh Sawyer is the lead designer on Fallout: New Vegas and, after having the rug yanked from under him on the original Fallout 3, he's happy to be working on the latest new Fallout project -- one that will be released later this year. Read on for our conversation with Sawyer. Joystiq: What's your history with the Fallout franchise? Josh Sawyer: I worked on what's called "Van Buren," which was the codename when Black Isle started to work on what would have been Fallout 3, and we had worked on it for maybe half a year, and then it was canceled because Interplay had a lot of financial problems.
