Microsoft is reportedly close to finalising a deal to acquire Obsidian Entertainment, the acclaimed developer behind the likes of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity.

Word of the seemingly imminent acquisition comes via Kotaku, which cites "three people briefed on the negotiations" as sources. The deal between Microsoft and Obsidian is said to be "90%" complete, with one source stating that "It's a matter of when, not if."

Obsidian has remained independent since it was founded in 2003, so talk of an acquisition might initially seem unlikely. However, Kotaku notes that the studio has often faced "financial strain" over the years, almost completely collapsing in 2012 when Microsoft, under different leadership, cancelled an ambitious Xbox One exclusive called Stormlands that the companies had been working on together.

Read more…

Obsidian's new but old fashioned role-playing game Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire has been delayed a month on PC. Rather than come out 3rd April it will now be released 8th May.

"We know you're as excited as we are about the upcoming launch of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire," said Obsidian in a statement. "As you have probably guessed, Deadfire is a huge game - significantly larger than the original Pillars of Eternity. Obsidian has been working harder than Abydon himself to make every inch of it awesome, as well as incorporating all the great feedback we have been getting from everyone playing the backer beta.

"With this in mind, we are taking just a few extra weeks to polish and put those finishing touches on the game."

Read more…

Forget Sea of Thieves' boats and check out Pillars of Eternity 2's! They're a whole new feature in the sequel and there's a lot more to them than I expected.

Your boat is a mobile home and your way around the Deadfire archipelago, although you have to keep an eye on resources you gobble while you explore - it's quite expensive in that regard.

Boats are operated by a crew you collect on your journeys around the world and they occupy positions on your ship according to their proficiencies, which seem to be Boatswain, Helmsman, Navigator, Cannoneer, Surgeon, Cook and Deckhand.

Read more…

Sprawling role-playing sequel Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, which looks every bit a Sure Thing, has not only been confirmed for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, it's been confirmed for Nintendo Switch.

Red Cerberus will handle the console conversions, not Paradox Arctic which did the Pillars of Eternity 1 PS4 and Xbox One ports. [This article previously and erroneously stated Paradox Arctic would handle the conversions.]

Those Pillars 1 ports were perfectly playable but the loading screen waits mounted up after a while. Nevertheless, they're technical hurdles I'm sure can be overcome, and if the Switch version works fluidly enough, it could be an ideal platform for a long, winding, adventure. You could play while on the toilet, for example, or while pretending to be asleep in bed.

Read more…

Obsidian and Versus Evil have announced a 3rd April release date for Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. The game will be available on PC, Mac and Linux.

There are three editions to consider - standard, Deluxe, and Obsidian - plus pre-order incentives. One incentive is a white hawk pet to serve as a kind of flashy parrot aboard your ship in the game - Pillars 2 has base ships, remember. Another incentive is a black pirate flag for your ship. A pirate flag!

The more expensive editions pack a few digital bonuses as well as some in-game tidbits. Most notable is the $75 Obsidian Edition, which grants you the game's first three $10 DLC expansions, which I hadn't heard about before.

Read more…

Earlier this week, Take-Two's brand new label Private Division was named publisher of Obsidian's big and secret, in-development role-playing game.

Take-Two, the parent company of 2K and Rockstar, is a big name, and what big names have been doing recently - Activision Blizzard, EA and Warner - is pushing loot boxes in their games. The question naturally followed: will Private Division push Obsidian to do the same?

It prompted an official response from the studio as well as a very short video featuring the leaders of the new Obsidian game project, Leonard Boyarsky and Tim Cain.

Read more…

UPDATE 16TH NOVEMBER: Something really was afoot - the backer beta for Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire has launched!

It's not feature-complete and there are a "number of things" Obsidian is not quite ready to show yet but will be rolled out over time, said design director Josh Sawyer in an accompanying video. "There's at least one really big feature that's very complicated and we need to put some more time into before players take a look at it," he added, "but it's a very cool feature."

In the closed beta you'll poke around a Deadfire archipelago village called Tikawara, and the island surrounding it. You won't be playing with final-game companions because they're still in development, still being cast and their voice lines recorded, and Obsidian doesn't want to spoil any of their stories. Plus, Obsidian isn't doing the closed beta to get feedback on them so much as feedback on the core mechanics and interfaces in the game.

Read more…