Obsidian: "The dedicated public of RPGs is very traditional"

The authors of Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (the latter coming to Switch) believe that the genre could evolve much more.

Josh Sawyer, director of games like Pillars of Eternity or Fallout: New Vegas has had occasion to reflect on the genre of the RPG in the Reboot Develop this week. As he indicates, he would like to see the role evolving beyond the statistics and the combat system, despite recognizing that Obsidian is also conservative in that aspect.

"The dedicated RPG audience is very traditional," says Sawyer. "RPGs can do much more than what we've done with them, there's a lot we can do about it, much more radical things."

For Sawyer, the natural evolution of the genre could be found in the narrative and the player's ability to alter the story through their actions. "The way I work with RPGs, they have more to do with controlling a character that has a certain range of personalities and a way to move through history that can change that story in a very meaningful way."

In addition, Sawyer believes that Bethesda is going in the right direction with games like Fallout or Elder Scrolls. "They are experiences more focused on immersion." All in all, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire debuts on May 8 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Later on, it will also reach Nintendo Switch.