14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Obsidian Entertainment announces that it is entering into a partnership with publisher Paradox Interactive that will see them working together in the upcoming launch process for Pillars of Eternity.
Feargus Urquhart, the chief executive officer of Obsidian Entertainment, states that, “How we are developing Pillars of Eternity has not, and will not be, changed; we will deliver the game we promised to our backers, and we will deliver it this year. Having Paradox as a partner, with their expertise in independent games like Pillars of Eternity, lets us put all of our focus on making an incredible game.”
The company leader also says that all the money that was offered by backers for Pillars of Eternity will be used solely for its development, with other sources considered for marketing and other necessities.
The game was funded using the Kickstarter service in late 2012, when the role-playing community managed to give the team 4.5 million dollars (3.3 million Euro) to create a classic title linked to the genre.
The deal means that Paradox will assume a number of key marketing and distribution responsibilities for the game, which means that Obsidian will be free to focus on the actual development of the mechanics and the game world.
Fredrik Wester, the chief executive officer of Paradox Interactive, adds, “When we signed this partnership we called it two independent players in the games industry supporting each other to stay independent by doing what we do best. The fans backing this game—many of us included—are looking forward to a classic RPG as envisioned by the designers at Obsidian, and that’s exactly what they’re going to get.”
The two companies have put together an official Frequently Asked Questions document for all those who have backed the Pillars of Eternity project and they are saying that all backer rewards will remain unchanged and that fans will still be able to influence the future of the game.
Obsidian Entertainment is best known for the work it has done on titles like the recently launched South Park: Stick of Truth and on older experiences like Alpha Protocol and Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Neverwinter Nights.
Paradox Interactive is a company that tends to focus on grand strategy experiences like Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV, but they have also been willing to work with outside developers on projects that have special significance.
Pillars of Eternity is expected to be launched in 2015.