Strategy set in the world of Pillars of Eternity is something many at Obsidian want. Josh Sawyer tells what's standing in the way
Josh Sawyer assures that many people at Obsidian Entertainment's studio still want to create Pillars of Eternity in the style of Fallout Tactics, but there is one problem.
The developers of Pillars of Eternity dream of creating a spin-off of the series in the style of Fallout Tactics.
Josh Sawyer continues to be consistently active online, sharing new content or, as of late, hosting a live stream. During one of those, the director of Fallout: New Vegas repeated that many employees of Obsidian Entertainment would like to make "Pillars Tactics."
Sawyer first mentioned such plans in an interview in September 2024, so even before the release of the latest game in the PoE universe: Avowed (via PC Gamer). The dev added at the time that although the tactical strategy genre has a "passionate community," it is rather small.
In other words, such a project is not the best idea from a financial point of view. Especially in a situation where we are still awaiting news on how the studio's latest game has performed (even though Obsidian is said to be "satisfied"), and the previous year saw an unprecedented number of layoffs in the gaming industry.
However, during a recent charity stream, Sawyer suggested that many members of the Obsidian Entertainment team (which he assisted as a consultant in the production of Avowed) are still interested in developing a tactical "Pillars."
This would require the team to consider how many people and how many resources the studio can allocate to work on a niche project. As Sawyer put it, even if all tactical game fans bought the potential "Pillars Tactics," it still wouldn't attract a large audience.
Of course, this is not the only project that could allow players to return to the world of Eora. Nonetheless, on the subject of Pillars of Eternity 3, Sawyer made it clear: after the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, he would need a budget comparable to Larian Studios to seriously consider developing the third installment. For now, he is more interested in creating a completely new brand.
