Obsidian's The Outer Worlds 2 Underperformed, and There Won't Be a Third

Veteran role-playing crippled shaper Obsidian Entertainment has nary plans to proceed The Outer Worlds with a 3rd game, the workplace has confirmed.

As portion of a Bloomberg interview, Obsidian revealed that past year's The Outer Worlds 2 had underperformed, and a sequel is not successful development. Avowed, the company's different blockbuster RPG released past year, besides missed its targets — but Obsidian reportedly inactive has plans for much from its satellite of Eora, the aforesaid mounting arsenic Pillars of Eternity.

On a much affirmative note, Grounded 2 — yet different 2025 motorboat — was a hit. But of the three, it had the shortest (and astir surely the cheapest) improvement play by far. Grounded 2 took conscionable implicit 2 years to conscionable its aboriginal entree launch, compared to the much than six years required for some Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2.

In 2025, Xbox trumpeted the information that Obsidian was astir to motorboat 3 games successful conscionable 8 months, with Avowed hitting successful February, Grounded 2 launching successful aboriginal entree successful July, and The Outer Worlds 2 arriving successful October. But the effort was "the effect of things going wrong," workplace plan manager Josh Sawyer has present said — and thing that is improbable to beryllium repeated.

"Spacing those releases helps the institution negociate its resources and not pain everybody out," Sawyer told Bloomberg. "It's not bully to merchandise 3 games successful the aforesaid year. It's the effect of things going wrong."

Famously, Avowed began beingness arsenic a multiplayer crippled with ambitions to beryllium a transverse betwixt The Elder Scrolls and Destiny, earlier its online co-op was stripped retired and the task was rebooted. It past took a portion to dependable the ship, though the accomplishment of Carrie Patel arsenic its manager saw the crippled connected a smoother way — albeit immoderate 3 years into the project.

As for The Outer Worlds 2's prolonged development, Bloomberg's study simply states that the task was made much hard by the pandemic and method challenges. Now, Obsidian's absorption is reportedly fixed connected ensuring games tin beryllium made connected shorter improvement timelines, with releases much spaced out, and with arsenic generous a nett borderline from Microsoft arsenic they tin get distant withmuster.

"I don't deliberation anybody truly likes five-, six-, seven-year dev cycles," noted Brandon Adler, who served arsenic manager connected The Outer Worlds 2. "We've benignant of grown into that."

Referencing Microsoft's eye-opening 30% profit-margin people for immoderate Xbox studios, Obsidian brag Feargus Urquhart said helium hoped the institution inactive continued to money riskier projects and accepted that "maybe wherever we are going to beryllium from a profitability standpoint isn't going to beryllium 30%."

Obsidian is yet to denote its adjacent project, pursuing 2025's exhaustive merchandise schedule. Work connected Grounded 2 continues, of course, and it sounds similar Eora volition beryllium returned to. (Avowed volition besides motorboat for PlayStation 5 aboriginal this month.) As for what other mightiness beryllium successful the pipeline, clip volition tell.

"I cognize everyone connected the internet, connected each crippled we ever announce, volition perpetually notation backmost to, 'When's the adjacent New Vegas?'" Obsidian's VP of operations Marcus Morgan said past year, referencing the studio's beloved Fallout crippled that's served arsenic the inspiration for the deed Amazon TV series' 2nd play setting. Well, it's a bully question.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social