Obsidian Entertainment is the developer behind some of gaming's most notable role-playing games, including Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds, and the critically-acclaimed Pentiment. However, there's one game in particular that Obsidian's key creative holds dear, and it was initially one of the developer's biggest bombs.
Shared on X (formerly Twitter), veteran RPG developer Josh Sawyer shared a photo of a specially engraved watch with a note about the underrated Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, a game that the dev holds in high regard.
Game sold badly and was a big disappointment, then over time it sold well and my boss gave me a bonus and I spent a chunk of it on this. https://t.co/y7usqn7FR5 pic.twitter.com/uKfxZhTLlRNovember 9, 2023
Released in 2018, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire was a direct follow-up to Pillars of Eternity, a well-received CRPG that found great success on Kickstarter during the crowd-funding boom of the early 2010s. While the original game found a solid audience and earned a lot of praise, the sequel did not gain as much attention, and it quickly came and went after release.
Following the launch, Sawyer and other Obsidian devs stated the sequel was not a success, and it effectively put the Pillars of Eternity series on pause. However, in the years since its launch, Deadfire became another in a long line of solid games that eventually found its audience. To celebrate the game's belated success, Sawyer used his bonus to buy a unique watch as a reminder of Deadfire's qualities.
Much like other CRPGs that it took inspiration from, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire was a pure computer role-playing experience with your party of adventurers exploring the high seas, blending swords and sorcery with a pirate-style adventure. It's the type of sequel that went further with the original's concept. Still, due to reasons outside of the developer's control, it took longer than expected to find its audience -- but Sawyer looks to be thankful that it eventually happened.
Recently, Sawyer stated that he would happily make Pillars of Eternity 3 if the opportunity came, but it would have to be on the same scale and budget of Baldur's Gate 3 for it to happen, which is obviously an incredibly tall order.
While the core Pillars of Eternity series is on ice for now, we haven't seen the last of Obsidian's unique universe created for the games. The upcoming Avowed, the Xbox-exclusive RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, is a new action RPG set within the universe of Pillars of Eternity, but it's going for an original story and new gameplay mechanics.
If you are looking for more RPGs, then check out our roundup of the 25 best RPGs you should play right now, which includes a few titles from Obsidian Entertainment.
