Conventional wisdom dictates that a video game sequel should be bigger, better, and bolder. It creates a challenging environment for studios as they attempt to balance their growing ambitions against both expectations of the community and the rising costs and complexities of development. Speaking with Obsidian Entertainment in the aftermath of Grounded 2's reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase, the team is quick to pinpoint one area of focus as it thought about scaling up beyond Grounded's backyard: the size and scope of the open world.
"The starting point for Grounded 2 in early access is the same size as the entirety of Grounded 1.0," says executive producer Marcus Morgan. "One reason for that is: this is Grounded 2, right – obviously it's got to be bigger! But the more important reason is that it facilitates the Buggies, which are our mounts. We really had to push to redesign the entire world, because now that you have mounts you can navigate the world much more quickly. That decision has actually changed the way we design all of our areas in Brookhollow Park, both above and below ground."
Brave New World
While Obsidian (and Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal, who is partnered on production of this sequel) is yet to settle on a final size for Brookhollow Park, it's expected to be roughly three times the size of the original game's backyard by the time Grounded 2 eventually emerges from early access. Part of the challenge here, says game director Chris Parker, is in making this new setting feel distinct. "The challenge with a sequel – and this is certainly something that we think about a lot – is that there can be this perception that Grounded 2 looks a lot like Grounded 1."
"We've tried to make everything more beautiful," says Parker, speaking to the shift to Unreal Engine 5. "The areas that are essentially grass, which there are a lot of in Grounded, have new creatures and new elements about them which work to refresh those areas and make them new, but then we also have completely new biomes too." Brookhollow Park is this vibrant, nostalgia-soaked suburban wilderness that offers far more variance – expanding your options in exploration, building, and survival.
"Grounded is about going on this nostalgic adventure with your friends, and we want to keep that spirit alive"
Producer Miles Winzeler tells me that "the change of locality" was driven by Obsidian's desire to look beyond new featuresets like the Buggies, refreshed combat, and a suite of mechanical improvements. "Outside of the map-size changing, the move from a backyard to a park has been huge for us."
"We've kept the organic parts of Grounded, as they were essential to the survival elements, but these changes open the door to a lot of new situations in more man-made structures. Areas like the Ice Cream Cart and the Barbecue which are built for public consumption. This is a natural progression for Grounded, and a great blank slate for us to build on through early access," says Winzeler.
Making sure that Grounded 2 feels like a true sequel is clearly something Obsidian and Eidos Montreal is wary of. It's why I ask Morgan whether the studios ever considered expanding the player count beyond four in co-op to match the expanding scope of the world. "The shared-world nature and the intimacy of playing with your friends is a really, really important part of what made Grounded feel special and unique. We identified areas we could build upon – the new mounts, world, story, and plenty more – but that part we wanted to keep the same. There's an intimacy to that."
Morgan adds: "The relationship you build with your friends, and the camaraderie you have in doing this all together, was something we wanted to retain. So that's a component of why we didn't go to like a 60-player server, because it would have undermined what Grounded was really about. Grounded is about going on this nostalgic adventure with your friends, and we want to keep that spirit alive as we move into Grounded 2."
Grounded 2 lands in Game Preview/Early Access for PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass on July 29, 2025.
