If you’re a tabletop roleplayer like myself, you were probably disgusted when 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons came out and decided to leave it for the more comfortable (and nostalgic) realm of Pathfinder. Due to Wizards of the Coast misjudging their fans, Pathfinder grew to become not just an “alternative” to base D&D, but eventually became its replacement. That may seem like hyperbole to the D&D faithful, but I know many in the community feel the same way and Pathfinder’s amazing success is due in large part to that. Of course, as popular as Pathfinder gets, it’ll never have the same presence in our video games that D&D has always had, right? The Goldbox games, Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights…D&D owns the CRPG genre.
That may change now that Obsidian has signed a deal with Paizo to create video games based on their popular tabletop RPG system.
Before we all explode with joy and expect the next great Baldur’s Gate-esque saga from this deal (we’re already getting that), it should be noted that the initial game is planned to be a tablet based virtual card game that they have decided to show off at the upcoming Gencon which kicks off tomorrow in Indianapolis.
A press release concerning the reveal stated the following:
- Obsidian Entertainment, the developer of Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: the Stick of Truth and the Kickstarter phenomenon Pillars of Eternity, announced that they have entered into a long-term licensing partnership with Paizo Inc. to produce electronic games based on its popular Pathfinder Roleplaying Game intellectual property
Obsidian’s first licensed product will be a tablet game based on the highly successful Pathfinder Adventure Card game, a cooperative game for 1 to 4 players. Players each have a unique character composed of a deck of cards and a set of stats. Characters have classes such as fighter, rogue, wizard and cleric, as well as numbers that define attributes such as strength, wisdom and charisma etc. Players will be able to customize their deck to better suit each individual’s vision of their character.
“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”.
In the world of Pathfinder, players take on the role of brave adventurers fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil. The Pathfinder RPG is currently translated into multiple languages, with hundreds of thousands of players worldwide. The Pathfinder brand has also been licensed for comic book series, graphic novels, miniatures, plush toys, apparel, and is being developed into a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.
“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 CRPG’s.”
Obsidian will be at Gen Con 2014 showing off an early prototype of the digital Pathfinder Adventure Card Game in the Paizo booth (#203) and in their own booth (#2151) featuring the first consumer hands on for Pillars of Eternity.
Of course, that’s just the first game that’ll come out of this contract. Others are sure to follow, one of them possibly a next gen game.
