Obsidian’s Avowed might be a big, AAA, first-person RPG, but it also serves as a follow-up to the studio’s own Pillars of Eternity – a pair of isometric RPGs that served as a Kickstarted throwback to the likes of the original Baldur’s Gate games. Josh Sawyer, director of the original Pillars games and other Obsidian classics like Fallout: New Vegas, has a hand in assisting with Avowed, but it sounds like he’s more interested in new IP for the next big game he takes the lead on.
Last year, Sawyer noted that he’d happily make Pillars of Eternity 3, but it would take Baldur’s Gate 3’s budget to convince him. Would he still want to do a third game? “I don’t know,” he tells RPG Site. “I feel like now Avowed is where the Pillars universe has kind of gone. And it’ll be interesting to see where the audience picks up on that, and maybe that’s where the Pillars universe kind of goes in the future. So I think there’s a lot of different possibilities of what to do in the future. I do think that I am more interested in doing original IP necessarily, than existing IP. But we’ll see where the future takes me.”
While Avowed takes place in the same world as Pillars of Eternity, Sawyer’s not directing it, citing burnout as the primary reason he didn’t want to lead the game. “I really wasn’t in a mental position to come up with new ideas for games or much less do work on them or direct anything,” he tells RPG Site. “That’s not the case now. So I am, you know, like I’m helping on Avowed. I am in an advisory role still, but I did a little bit of writing on Avowed. I’ve helped out with some system design and things like that. Basically, wherever they needed help. I am doing more hands-on work there and then just thinking and talking about ideas for future projects.”
Sawyer’s most recent project was Pentiment, a delightful little adventure about a 16th century artist. It’s not as flashy as big RPG, sure, but it was one of our picks for the best games of 2022, and a terrific example of what happens when an experienced director like Sawyer gets some genuine creative freedom. If Sawyer can work some magic with another fresh IP, count me a happy fan.