Obsidian Archives

AppWizard

July 8, 2025

Xbox bet that Game Pass would be the future of gaming, and we’re all paying for it

Microsoft announced a reduction of 9,100 employees, significantly affecting the Xbox division, following a previous round of 6,000 layoffs, totaling 27,600 positions eliminated since the beginning of 2023. Promising titles have been canceled, raising concerns about the future of gaming projects and workforce stability. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's compensation increased by 63% to million in 2024 amid these layoffs. Game Pass currently has around 35 million subscribers, falling short of the goal of over 100 million by 2030. The focus has shifted from hardware to services, with concerns about the sustainability of the Game Pass model and its impact on the gaming ecosystem. Rumors suggest the next generation of consoles may resemble PCs more than traditional gaming hardware.

AppWizard

July 6, 2025

Arkane Studios founder slams Microsoft for its Game Pass focus: ‘At some point reality has to hit’

Raphael Colantonio, founder of Arkane Studios, has expressed concerns about Xbox Game Pass, labeling it an unsustainable business model that has negatively impacted the gaming industry for the past decade. He believes that Game Pass cannot coexist with other business models and predicts it will either dominate or fail. Colantonio warns that while the service currently appeals to gamers, it may lead to resentment as its long-term effects on game quality and diversity become evident. He draws parallels between Game Pass and the trajectory of streaming services, suggesting that it may lead to similar issues in the gaming industry. Despite these concerns, Microsoft remains committed to Game Pass, which is crucial for its future amid declining console sales.

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

I’ve spent six hours exploring the Steam Summer Sale with our Games Editor, and these are the 10 best games on discount I’d recommend so far

The Steam Summer Sale is currently ongoing, offering discounts for a limited 14-day period. Notable titles include: - Grounded: Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, priced at .99 / £17.49, currently at a 50% discount. - Cult of the Lamb: Developed by Massive Monster, priced at .49 / £9.74, currently at its lowest price. - Disco Elysium - The Final Cut: Developed by ZA/UM, priced at .99 / £3.49, currently at a 90% discount. - Cyberpunk 2077: Developed by CD Projekt Red, priced at .99 / £17.49, now at a historical low. - Little Nightmares 2: Developed by Tarsier Studios, priced at .99 / £2.49, now at a historically low price. - Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy: Developed by Vicarious Visions, priced at .99 / £3.49. - Thank Goodness You're Here!: Developed by Coal Supper, priced at .99 / £10.39, with the largest reduction yet. - Borderlands 3: Developed by Gearbox Software, priced at .99 / £2.49. - Guardians of the Galaxy: Developed by Eidos-Montreal, priced at .99 / £5.04, now at a new low price. - Dead Space: Developed by EA Motive, priced at .99 / £9.99, now at a historic low. Honorable mentions include Control Ultimate Edition, Forza Horizon 5, Elden Ring, Blasphemous, REPO, Undertale, Resident Evil 4, Stardew Valley, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Helldivers 2.

AppWizard

June 21, 2025

Grounded 2 will have less frequent, much larger early access updates

Obsidian Entertainment will release Grounded 2 next month, adopting a new update strategy of every four to five months instead of the previous monthly micro-updates. Game Director Chris Parker stated that this shift aims to provide substantial content to enhance player experience.

AppWizard

June 20, 2025

These 7 games need a remaster, and they need it now

Fallout: New Vegas, released in 2010 by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks, is a unique RPG praised for its player agency, writing, and world-building, making it a candidate for a remaster to fix technical bugs and improve visuals. Dragon Age: Origins, released in 2009 by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts, is regarded as the best in its series, but a remaster seems unlikely due to a lack of familiar staff. Black & White, a 2001 game by Lionhead Studios and published by Electronic Arts, is not available on major platforms, and a remaster could enhance its AI and gameplay. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, released in 2004 by Troika Games and published by Activision, is a classic RPG with bugs and unfinished elements that could benefit from a remaster to fix glitches and restore content. No One Lives Forever, a 2000 game by Monolith Productions and published by Fox Interactive, is unavailable due to rights disputes, but a remaster could modernize its visuals and controls. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, released in 2004 by Obsidian Entertainment and published by LucasArts, is an unfinished narrative that could be improved with a remaster to restore missing content. Freedom Force, a 2002 game by Irrational Games and published by Electronic Arts, could benefit from a remaster to improve compatibility and support user-generated content.

AppWizard

June 16, 2025

Stutters and hitches in Unreal Engine 5 games should become rarer over time due to Epic’s continuous updates, but we’ll still see them for a while because of the way games are made

At Unreal Fest in Orlando, Epic Games showcased new features for Unreal Engine 5 through a tech demo of CD Projekt Red's Witcher 4 and hosted training sessions for developers. Key topics included shader compilation stutters and performance issues in Unreal Engine games, with a focus on optimization methodologies rather than the engine itself. Insights revealed persistent performance optimization challenges, particularly with shader compilation and traversal stutters. Developers were encouraged to implement PSO precaching in Unreal Engine 5.2 or newer, although neither solution is perfect. Obsidian's game Avowed began development in Unreal Engine 4 before transitioning to version 5.3.2, while aiming for specific frame rates on Xbox Series S and X. The team size for Avowed was 140, with only 15 in technical roles, which may have limited their ability to fully utilize new features. Unreal Engine 5.6 offers performance enhancements that require strategic implementation by developers. Attendance at Epic's sessions was high, indicating a growing awareness of performance issues among developers. The hope is that future titles will leverage the latest engine version to address these challenges effectively.

AppWizard

June 14, 2025

The Outer Worlds 2 director offers the most sympathetic answer I’ve yet heard for the $80 game question: ‘We don’t set the prices for our games,’ and ‘You’d have to honestly talk to the Xbox folks’

Brandon Adler, the director of The Outer Worlds 2, stated that game developers do not set the prices for their games, emphasizing that pricing decisions are made by corporate executives. He expressed a desire for broader accessibility to games but indicated that pricing inquiries should be directed to Xbox executives. The economic landscape has shifted, making home ownership difficult while consumer electronics have become more affordable. Gamers now have various options, including subscription services and budget-friendly hardware. The perceived normal price for games has shifted to the range of to , with being a stretch, particularly for highly anticipated titles. Pricing challenges reflect deeper issues in the gaming industry, including recent layoffs and rising development costs. Obsidian Entertainment has adopted a strategy of working on multiple smaller projects, resulting in more affordable pricing for some titles, while the upcoming Avowed is set at a full retail price. Concerns exist that The Outer Worlds 2’s price might hinder its success, especially given the unclear metrics Microsoft uses to evaluate sales performance.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

3 things I liked and 2 I didn’t after 30 minutes with Grounded 2

Obsidian Entertainment is set to release several games in 2025, including The Outer Worlds 2 in October and Grounded 2, which will launch in early access on July 29. Grounded 2 features a new expansive open world set in a city park that transforms into an alien landscape when players are shrunk to ant size. The map is larger than the original Grounded, and players can use buggies for exploration. The early access will allow players to experience a substantial portion of the map and the first chapter of the story, providing feedback for the final product. Grounded 2 will be available on all platforms except PlayStation.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

‘My biggest fear is the direct comparison to Grounded 1’: Grounded 2 executive producer opens up about the difficulty of following up an early access game with another early access game

Grounded 2 was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, with an early access release set for July 29. Marcus Morgan from Obsidian discussed the challenges of launching a sequel in early access, noting the difficulties of meeting expectations after the success of the first game, which evolved significantly over four years. Grounded initially faced criticism for limited content but eventually became a flagship title for Obsidian with a "very positive" rating on Steam. Grounded 2 is available for wishlisting on Steam.

AppWizard

June 9, 2025

The Outer Worlds 2 is Microsoft’s first $80 game

The Outer Worlds 2 is set to be released on October 29th, 2025, and will introduce a new price point as the first title from Microsoft to implement this pricing strategy following a global price hike announced in May 2025. Microsoft acknowledged the challenges of this decision, citing current market conditions and rising game development costs. The original game was published by Take-Two's Private Division in 2019, and Obsidian, the studio behind it, was acquired by Microsoft during its development.