Fallout

The last few weeks have been disastrous for the industry on several levels. Sony’s decision to move away from physical media has dominated part of the conversation, while another major topic has been the layoffs at Xbox, which reportedly affect more than 3,200 employees. Some studios have regained their independence from Microsoft, while others, such as id Software, have been reduced to a fraction of their former size.

Reading reports here and there, it appears that Obsidian has seen its workforce reduced by around 25%. The restructuring has reportedly led to the cancellation of an Avowed sequel, and in its place Obsidian is said to be working on a new Fallout game. This new entry would be led by Josh Sawyer, best known for directing and designing Fallout: New Vegas.

It is reported that Josh had been working on an RPG similar to Fallout in both structure and themes, although it was not part of the franchise itself.

The Avowed sequel would have benefited from much of the groundwork already completed in the first game, potentially shortening development time, but it apparently does not fit within the vision of Sharma and her team. Some employees will reportedly continue working on the cancelled sequel until they can be moved over to Fallout.

At the moment, Obsidian is working on Grounded 2 alongside Eidos and on additional post-launch content for The Outer Worlds 2.

Thanks, Jason S.