Obsidian Entertainment has hoovered up the license for tabletop RPG franchise Pathfinder, in news that has me giggling like a small child on a sugar high. The first game under the new partnership will be a tablet adaptation of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, but this is a long-term acquisition, so expect much more to come.
Okay, so you’re not a role-playing geek like me. What’s Pathfinder, you say? Well, when Dungeon & Dragons stumbled with a (generally) poorly received 4th edition of its core ruleset, Pathfinder stepped up to offer classic role-playing with an exciting, vibrant and often nuts new world to explore.
Rather than just have your standard high fantasy setting a la Forgotten Realms, Pathfinder’s world of Golarion packs in absolutely everything; there’s the horror-themed, mist-shrouded land of Ustalav, the unexplored border region of Varisia, the Crusaders versus demons chaos of the Worldwound. There’s even an area where barbarian tribes battle giant robots from space. It’s unhinged in the best way possible, but lovingly detailed and full of character. It’s kind of exciting to see what stories Obsidian will be able to create in this world. And with their Unity engine, currently being put to very sexy use in the upcoming Pillars of Eternity? Well let’s just say these are heady times for fans of fantasy CRPG’s.
”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 CEO Feargus Urquhart. “We’re huge fans and can’t wait to bring what we do in the electronic gaming world to Pathfinder fans everywhere.”
”Obsidian is a video game developer at the top of its game,” said Paizo (creators and owners of the Pathfinder IP) 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 CRPG’s.”
Right, geek out over. Obsidian is currently showing off the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game at GenCon 2014, where there’s also the first consumer-playable build of Pillars of Eternity on show. We’ll have to wait and see what else Paizo and Obsidian have in store.
