Summary
Obsidian Entertainment’s 2015 CRPG,Pillars of Eternity, was the start of a fresh franchise for the developer at a time when it was experiencing a rough period and was nearly forced to shut down entirely a few years prior. But it forged ahead withPillars of Eternity, opening a Kickstarter campaign for it that, at the time, became the fastest and highest-grossing game project on the platform. The title went on to see good success, receiving a sequel in 2018, and set the stage for the studio’s most recent release based on the world of Eora introduced inPoE,Avowed.
In a somewhat unexpected turn, Obsidian recently announced that it will beadding a turn-based combat mode toPillars of Eternitylater this year. This is welcome news to those fans who enjoyed the game but wished that it had this option from the beginning. And this decision, along with a statement in an interview made byAvowed’s game director, Carrie Patel, that, “The idea of something new is appealing” after its launch, could indicate that Obsidian may very well be thinking about creating another CRPG that will feature it as a core mechanic.
It should be kept in mind, however, that Obsidian has not officially announced any plans for such a game.
Pillars of Eternity’s Upcoming Turn-Based Combat Mode Hopefully Means Obsidian is Cooking Up Something New
Turn-Based Combat Coming to Pillars of Eternity After Ten Years Seems to Suggest More Than Meets the Eye
Obsidian has a storied history of working onquality CRPGs, and forPillars of Eternityit channeled its expertise to deliver a satisfying entry for modern audiences. And though it contained many of the recognizable hallmarks of the genre, one longstanding design it sidestepped was a fully turn-based combat system. Instead, both the first title andPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfireutilized real-time with pause, which still worked perfectly well, but left those players who preferred the turn-based approach lacking the option. WhilePillars of Eternitysaw a number of smaller updates and patches since its release, Obsidian bringing turn-based combat to it now might imply bigger things are in the works.
Why Obsidian Adding Turn-Based Combat to Pillars of Eternity Could Be Just a Glimpse of Things to Come
It’s a bit out of the ordinary for a developer to introduce such a major feature so long after launch, especially sincePillars of Eternityisn’t a live-service or similar ongoing game. And though this remains speculation for now, the fact that it is doing so could mean it has been toying with the idea of diving back into CRPGs in the near future.Obsidian has outlined some big ambitionsto continue being successful, and perhaps this is just one way that it is paving the road to doing so.
Avowedsaw solid sales, and in the same interview mentioned above, Patel also noted, “Now that we’ve built this wonderful world… I’d love to see us do more with it.” That could mean Obsidian is considering looking towards another entry in thePillarsof Eternityfranchise that is more like the previous two, expanding the setting further but returning to the CPRG design that formed its basis beforeAvowed.
The studio is also set to releaseThe Outer Worlds 2later this year, and after back-to-back FPS RPG experiences, a potential genre switch could keep its streak going while offering a different take. In a possible sort of reverse situation, it might even try a spin-off with aCRPG based onThe Outer Worldsto keep things fresh and, at the same time, capitalize on its popularity. Other potentialities include a sequel or follow-up to its 2016 CRPG,Tyranny, or even an entirely new IP built around turn-based combat. In any case, the upcoming update forPoEis hopefully indicative of Obsidian’s plans for a project of this nature.
