Leading up to the big Paradox Interactive event, there was quite a bit of speculation as to what Obsidian had up their sleeves. Would it be a new White Wolf title? A Pathfinder CRPG? Amazingly, it turns out neither theory was correct, and their newest game is an entirely original intellectual property called Tyranny.

In Tyranny, a long war between good and evil has ended, with evil lord Kyros and his armies gaining final victory. You play a Fatebinder, a human tasked with the upholding and executing of your lord Kyros’ law. As is the case with most of Obsidian’s games, personal choice and the consequence of your actions play a huge role, with your decisions as a Fatebinder directly affecting the world around you.

Here are the game’s key features:

• A branching narrative with a unique story in an original setting:The Battle between good and evil has already taken place, and evil stands victorious.
• Choices matter -a different player experience every time you play it -As an Officer in the Overlord’s army you wield a vast amount of power in the occupied lands of the Tiers. Will you use that power to inspire stability and loyalty, or will you be a feared oppressor?
• Challenging, classic RPG combatwith modern mechanics and presentation
• A rich original setting -a completely new and original fantasy world with rich lore and many paths to follow

You can view the first screenshots here:

From the world description on the game’s official website, it seems that Obsidian is intent on creating a “Dark” game world that is broken and hopeless, with your main character acting as the bringer of that unwanted change. Of course, there isn’t much to go on since it was just announced, but it’s assumed that we’ll see much of what made Pillars of Eternity such a big seller for the company.

Tyranny is due to launch sometime this year for PC, though no exact date was revealed during the announcement.