Obsidian Entertainment is, without a doubt, one of the most influential studios Microsoft has under its umbrella right now. After the success of The Outer Wilds, especially on Xbox Game Pass, the studio announced its next project Grounded. However, Phil Spencer hints the existence of another mystery project, keeping the whole team busy right now.
According to an “End of Year” podcast with Phil Spencer and Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, we find out that Grounded is a small in-studio title within Obsidian Entertainment. In fact, it only keeps 10% of employees busy. However, there’s another secret project that is, instead, the main focus for the team. Their dialogue goes as follows:
Major Nelson: “I was in Obsidian’s studios for the launch of The Outer Worlds and …”
Spencer: “Great team! You know what they’re on working? ”
Major Nelson: “I know. We saw Grounded …”
Spencer: “Well, no, I’m referring to the whole team”.
So what do we know about this new Obsidian Entertainment title? Right now, nothing. Some of the studios’ job listings do have some interesting bits to share. For starters, we’re talking about open world and will be available on next-gen consoles as well as PC. A listing for a senior technical artist reads:
We’re looking for an individual who knows how to create tools, assets, and pipelines in Houdini that integrate well with Unreal Engine 4 for next generation game platforms. This Houdini Technical Artist will work with Area Designers, the Art Director, Technical Director, and production artists to develop tools that allow others to iterate effectively and reliably on an open world environment.
Moreover, the listings drop hints about melee and ranged combat as well as non-humanoid characters. This could easily be a sequel for The Outer Worlds, something better and bigger after the first game’s success or a new IP altogether. Some of Obsidian’s past IPs like Dungeon Defenders or Pathfinder could also be getting something bigger, although we can never be sure.
We still don’t know what Obsidian Entertainment’s new game is and what its state will be following the studio’s introduction to Xbox Studios, however, the team has set solid grounds for their next big game to hit the market.
