One of the masters of role-playing video games is partnering up with the geniuses responsible for an award-winning pen-and-paper role-playing game and card game.
Obsidian Entertainment, the studio that made Fallout: New Vegas and South Park: The Stick of Truth, has landed a licensing partnership to make games based on the Pathfinder pen-and-paper fantasy RPG series. In an agreement with publisher Paizo Inc., Obsidian will first release an adaptation of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game for tablets. It will feature up to four-player cooperative play where each gamer can take on the role of fighter, rogue, wizard, or cleric.
Pathfinder’s roots are in the open-source RPG system behind Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition, and Obsidian has experience working in that world. The studio’s 2006 release Neverwinter Nights 2 was also directly compatible with the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5. In fact, Obsidian’s 2008 expansion for Neverwinter Nights 2 was the last time any video game developer worked on a single-player RPG Dungeons & Dragons adaptation.
“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,” Obsidian chief executive Feargus Urquhart said. “We’re huge fans and can’t wait to bring what we do in the electronic gaming world to Pathfinder fans everywhere”.
Obsidian will show off an early version of its Pathfinder Adventure Card Game at the upcoming Gen Con 2014 gaming convention starting tomorrow in Indianapolis. Fans can head to Obsidian’s booth or Paizo’s booth to check it out.
“Obsidian is a video game developer at the top of its game,” Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens said. “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 computer RPGs.”
Obsidian most recently released its South Park game, but it is also working on its own fantasy role-playing game called Pillars of Eternity. The studio funded that came through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The project ended up raising around $4 million largely by promising fans the studio would return to its roots and make a computer RPG in the style of Icewind Dale, which Obsidian forerunner Black Isle designed. Now, those fans may get even more than they bargained for.