Obsidian Entertainment Interview

[GameBanshee News]

The folks at Clan DLAN were able to corner Obsidian Entertainment's Feargus Urquhart and Ryan Rucinski for a lengthy Q&A about Neverwinter Nights 2, premium module support, the possibility of a Baldur's Gate III, and more.

Q: Speaking of sequels... what about Baldur's Gate III?

A: Well, as I said, we've already done that once. I actually don't know Atari's specific plans for BG3, but I know that Baldur's Gate is important to them and that it enters into their thoughts about new products all of the time.

If Atari really does possess the rights to have a third Baldur's Gate installment developed, I think there's a pretty good chance we just might see one... someday.

[DesR85]

Interesting interview. Mostly, it is talking about Neverwinter Nights 2 but it still is interesting, overall.

Quote:

Feargus - Doing sequels is a great way to start a company since the question of what the game is going to be has already been answered. That makes sequels less risky and means that publishers are less worried about working with a new studio.

I do agree with him on this. I've seen quite a number of developers made a name for themselves by developing sequels of hit titles, so it's not surprising why Obsidian and the others opted to do so. Treyarch Studios (Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One and Call of Duty 3) and TimeGate Studios (F.E.A.R. Extraction Point) are one of the few developers that follow this trend.

Quote:

Palafoxx and Immortality - Speaking of sequels... what about Baldur's Gate III? Feargus Urquhart - Well, as I said, we've already done that once. I actually don't know Atari's specific plans for BG3, but I know that Baldur's Gate is important to them and that it enters into their thoughts about new products all of the time.

As for my opinion on this part of the interview, I'm not surprised if Obsidian is developing Baldur's Gate III, due to the above reasons and because they are made up of former Black Isle employees. All I can say is, good luck to Obsidian if they plan to develop a Baldur's Gate III.

[Xandax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GameBanshee News If Atari really does possess the rights to have a third Baldur's Gate installment developed, I think there's a pretty good chance we just might see one... someday.

Well, as always with these (long overdue) sequel rumors, then I'd fear that they'll actually butcher the game instead of keeping true to game.
I fear it with Fallout and I will fear it with BG3 if ever announced. They'll just try to capitalize on the name and the "fanboys" of the company who'll buy anything - and then simply ignore what made the game big to begin with.
So I doubt - if announced - we'll see a Baldurs Gate 3 of game rather then only of name.

[fable]

Won't matter if it shows up, or not. Should BG3 ever come out, it won't be the slightest resemblance in any sense to the game we've enjoyed so much. I'd be far less concerned with a new game masquerading under the old title to boost sales, than in The Age of Decadence--a game made by BG2 fans, with great modding experience, and some fine ideas.

[Monolith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fable Won't matter if it shows up, or not. Should BG3 ever come out, it won't be the slightest resemblance in any sense to the game we've enjoyed so much. I'd be far less concerned with a new game masquerading under the old title to boost sales, than in The Age of Decadence--a game made by BG2 fans, with great modding experience, and some fine ideas.

You confound Age of Decadence with The Broken Hourglass here. What you said is true for the latter. But AoD's devs are (much) more into Fallout than the BG series.

[dragon wench]

Hmmm... interesting interview.


What can I say? I have a hopeless case of nostalgia where the BG 2 series goes. Even though PS:T was probably the better game (one I also very much enjoyed), BG2 was the one that stole my heart.
So, of course I'd watch the development of a BG3 closely. But..... I'd be very wary, and I don't think I'd be expecting it to be heir to the best game I've ever played.

On the other hand, I think Obsidian probably knows there are a huge number of fans who hanker back to BG2, and they probably also know they'd have a huge set of expectations to meet. The question is whether or not they'd pay those expectations any heed, or whether they would go the way of shorter, action-oriented, graphics-focused games.. I fear the latter would be probable.