Obsidian Entertainment legend and Grounded 2 game director Chris Parker is no stranger to the world of RPGs, having been involved in numerous genre heavyweights over the last three decades, and even he thinks the roleplaying space is just as exciting as it's ever been.
Asked about the state of the genre in an interview with GamesRadar+, Parker says, "Sometimes it looks a little tired, sometimes it looks like it needs a little bit of a freshening up, but then something comes along and shows me that RPGs are as vibrant and exciting a genre now as they have ever been." Those somethings include two of the biggest hit games of the last few years, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Baldur's Gate 3, he says.
Parker's definitely not alone in that opinion, either, since both are the only games that have ever swept all five major Game of the Year awards uninterrupted.
But Obsidian Entertainment's also been a mainstay in the genre since its founding more than 20 years ago, and Parker is sure to acknowledge the studio's contributions as well. Both last year's fantasy romp Avowed and capitalist satire The Outer Worlds 2 "are super fun and great experiences, and brought something to the genre," Parker adds.
"I think RPGs will continue to evolve and be amazing, and in weird different ways, like your Disco Elysiums and stuff like that, right? And so I have complete faith in that genre, and at some point I'm not going to be making those games anymore," he acknowledges. "Part of me is just here encouraging everybody else who makes them [to] keep making them because I love them. I know there's room for them to grow, and I'm just looking for that from either our studio or any studio that wants to jump in there."
There you have it - the RPG genre at least seems as healthy as ever, and Parker's very different examples are good proof. Whether it be a turn-based RPG or an action-oriented one, a game pulling from JRPG classics or CRPG icons, I think the genre's diversity is helping keep it fresh.
