Outer Worlds and Grounded developer Obsidian reveals what made him join the ever-growing list of top Xbox developers in 2018.
Obsidian is well known for developing classic RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas and will likely be recognized for their most recent work on co-op survival game Grounded and sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds.
The developer joined other companies like Ninja Theory and Playground Games in signing on to be part of a “new Microsoft” in 2018, but at first it seemed the Obsidian team wasn’t too excited about the prospect.
speaking in one interview Recently, Obsidian Studio head Feargus Urquhart said the company wanted to prioritize maintaining its creative freedom in making games. Urquhart wasn’t sure at first if Microsoft would allow this.
However, it appears Xbox boss Phil Spencer has put those fears to rest.
While execs from Microsoft and Xbox convinced Urquhart to have his studio join the gaming giant’s team, it was Phil Spencer’s attitude toward gaming that sealed the deal.
Spencer came off as “authentic,” according to Urquhart, and as someone who genuinely “loves games.” This attitude has also been recognized by others in the gaming community. In February, the DICE Awards presented Spencer with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
While some still criticize Microsoft’s constant buying of developers as a form of monopolization in the games industry, it seems that Phil Spencer and his ideas about video games are enough for developers to continue to believe that joining the green brand is the right choice.
Obsidian will continue to create games for Xbox and PC for years to come.
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