The full list of Microsoft Studios, including inXile and Obsidian.
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Microsoft based their E3 2018 pitch around more games, more developers and expanding its first-party presence in the console market. And at their X018 event Saturday, they company revealed their intent to bring two studios into their fold: Obsidian Entertainment and inXile, bringing their total studio count to 13.
Obsidian, formed in 2003, has made a name for itself for its slate of story-driven RPGs, most notably Fallout: New Vegas, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II and South Park: The Stick of Truth. They recently released the second Pillars of Eternity game, but rumors about a potential acquisition had heightened in recent weeks.
“As one of the industry’s premiere RPG developers, we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to add their expertise to Microsoft Studios, while enabling the studio to preserve its unique culture and build on its talent and vision to fully realize their creative ambitions,” Microsoft said in a statement.
Obsidian made the video below for its community to inform them about the change. Even when it was just a rumor, the acquisition found a prominent critic in writer Chris Avellone, who left Obsidian in 2015 but helped write Fallout: New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic II as well as older RPG classics like Fallout 2. Avellone tweeted to Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s head of Xbox, that in the event of an acquisition, Obsidian’s management should be let go.
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@XboxP3, if you ARE doing a deal with Obsidian Ent., I’d really, really look at Pillars of Eternity sales figures (which Fig has indirectly revealed this month, and tried to be cagey about it). Good devs there, terrible management – Hire the devs, fire the chaff at the top.
— Chris Avellone (@ChrisAvellone) November 7, 2018
InXile, formed in 2002, is also a studio steeped in RPG history. They’re most recently known for their Kickstarter-backed rekindling of the long-dormant Wasteland and Torment series, with a third entry in the series on the way after another successful round of crowdfunding. It’s currently unknown whether that means Wasteland 3, like its predecessor, will be available on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox and PC.
“As part of Microsoft Studios, inXile will have the support and freedom to fully realize its creative ambitions on both existing franchises and new projects,” Microsoft said in a statement.
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