The studio is once again turning to crowd-funding to make their isometric dream a reality.
Obsidian has now confirmed that the new game they have recently been teasing is a follow-up to their successful isometric RPG Pillars of Eternity.
The fabled RPG developer has launched a new campaign on crowd-funding platform Fig for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. They are currently seeking a not insignificant goal of $1.1 million for the development of this sequel.
In exchange for that money, Obsidian is promising to deliver a sequel that begins with the return of the god Eothas. Upon his return, Eothas leaves you for dead and forces you to embark on a journey that can only end when you confront the god and get answers to questions concerning yourself, the mortal world, and why the Eothas has returned.
Along with expanding the artistic and technical prowess of the original game, developer Obsidian is also promising to include expanded gameplay features such as "truly living cities" and "more freedom to explore the open world." Designer Josh Sawyer states that the overall purpose of their design process is to create a game that emphasizes "refinement, pacing, and overall quality."
However, Sawyer warns fans that this sequel might not be quite as long as the original was now that the team is focusing on greater narrative pacing and overall quality. He says it's "more important for (Obsidian's) content to be high quality than it is for us to have a gargantuan 200+ hour game," and that they are trying to address player criticism of the first Pillars of Eternity that revolved around the game having "too many mob/filler fights."
Not everything is being shelved, though, as Pillars of Eternity II will feature returning characters and the same isometric-driven art style that helped make the original game the cult classic that it is. Obsidian is not quite ready to announce an expected release window, but the sequel's campaign will end on February 24th.
