Outer Worlds 2 BOMBS! No Sequel?! Gamers in Uproar!

Bad news for fans of space-western RPGs: Obsidian Entertainment has confirmed that "The Outer Worlds 2" underperformed, effectively ending any hope for a third installment in the quirky franchise. This news comes from a recent Bloomberg interview where Obsidian opened up about recent releases and future plans. It's a bit of a bummer, to be honest; I always felt like "The Outer Worlds" had so much potential, even if the first game felt a little short on scope.

Outer Worlds 2 BOMBS! No Sequel?! Gamers in Uproar...

While "The Outer Worlds 2" and "Avowed," Obsidian's other major RPG released last year, didn't hit the mark, it wasn't all doom and gloom. "Grounded 2," surprisingly, turned out to be a success. And get this – it had the shortest development cycle of the three, clocking in at just over two years. This suggests that smaller, more focused projects might be the way forward for Obsidian, at least for now.

Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart emphasized the importance of spacing out releases to avoid burnout and resource strain. "It's not good to release three games in the same year," he stated. "It's the result of things going wrong." It's a fair point. Trying to juggle multiple massive projects simultaneously can definitely lead to quality dips and, ultimately, unhappy developers.

"Avowed's" development woes were apparently quite significant. Initially conceived as a multiplayer game blending "The Elder Scrolls" with "Destiny," it underwent a major reboot when the online co-op element was scrapped. Carrie Patel's arrival as director seemingly stabilized the project, but not before valuable time had been lost. As for "The Outer Worlds 2," the report vaguely mentions the pandemic and technical challenges as contributing factors to its extended development. Sounds familiar, right? Plenty of games suffered similar setbacks.

Looking ahead, Obsidian is now prioritizing shorter development timelines and more spaced-out releases, presumably with the goal of maximizing profit margins. Urquhart also touched upon Microsoft's ambitious 30% profit-margin target for some Xbox studios, expressing hope that the company will continue to fund riskier projects, even if they don't quite reach that lofty goal. It's a delicate balance, trying to innovate while staying financially viable.

And of course, the question on everyone's mind – when will we see something akin to "New Vegas" again? Obsidian's VP of operations, Marcus Morgan, acknowledged the constant inquiries from fans, referencing the studio's beloved "Fallout" game. It's a testament to the lasting impact of that game, and honestly, I get it. That game set the bar high, and fans are eager to see Obsidian recapture that magic. Only time will tell if they can.