Pen-and-paper roleplaying games have been the backbone of western RPGs since forever. In the ‘90s, Interplay’s license from Wizards of the Coast fuelled a new wave of great D&D games. Maybe this’ll be the green light for the next. Obsidian have signed a deal to develop games based on tabletop RPG Pathfinder.
“At Obsidian we have a long history of working with the greatest RPG franchises, and we’re thrilled to get to play in the Pathfinder universe now,” said Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart. “We’re huge fans and can’t wait to bring what we do in the electronic gaming world to Pathfinder fans everywhere.”
The first game to emerge from the deal will be a tablet-only affair named the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. That’ll have more in common with Hearthstone than Icewind Dale.
But this is a “long term licensing partnership”, and we’d terribly surprised if licensees Piazo didn’t plan on taking advantage of Obsidian’s expertise with traditional RPGs at some stage.
“Obsidian is a video game developer at the top of its game,” said Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens. “Being able to bring that type of experience and passion to Pathfinder can only mean great things, both for our loyal Pathfinder community and for all fans of great CRPGs.”
Pathfinder has evolved into an alterna-D&D in its five years of existence – spawning graphic novels, miniatures, plush toys, and an in-development MMO. It was originally based on D&D’s 3.5 edition. Will this deal do in lieu of a Neverwinter Nights 3? Or has Pillars of Eternity already fireballed that itch?