“There have been a number of people actually at the studio who have floated the idea of a Pillars Tactics game,” says Obsidian’s Josh Sawyer when interviewed about the future of Pillars of Eternity

"There have been a number of people actually at the studio who have floated the idea of a Pillars Tactics game," says Obsidian's Josh Sawyer when interviewed about the future of Pillars of Eternity

What you need to know

  • YouTuber channel Limit Break Network recently conducted with Josh Sawyer, lead developer from Obsidian Entertainment, who helped create the Pillars of Eternity franchise and worked on other titles such as Fallout: New Vegas and Pentiment.
  • During the interview, Josh Sawyer talks about the origin of the Pillars of Eternity franchise, his involvement in the upcoming title Avowed, and the studio considering the idea of making a tactics-strategy game spin-off of Pillars of Eternity.
  • Avowed, Obsidian’s next big, first-person RPG adventure, is set to launch next year on February 18, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam.

As a tech enthusiast with a soft spot for RPGs and a keen interest in the behind-the-scenes of game development, I must say that the prospect of a tactical Pillars of Eternity game has me more than just a little intrigued!


On September 26, 2024, Limit Break Network conducted an interview with Josh Sawyer, a seasoned lead designer at Obsidian Entertainment. He has contributed to the development of several of the studio’s top-rated games like Fallout: New Vegas and Pentiment. Notably, he was also in charge of creating the Pillars of Eternity series, as reported by HazzadorGamin on X.

In this interview, Josh shares captivating anecdotes detailing the innovative methods used in crafting Pillars of Eternity, the origins of its overall themes, the efforts made to contemporize the design of classic role-playing games such as Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale, his role in Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming RPG, Avowed, and additional insights.

A topic that piqued my interest toward the end of the interview was when Josh Sawyer brought up the concept of creating a new Pillars of Eternity game with the budget of Baldur’s Gate 3. He mentioned that the team at Obsidian is contemplating the development of a strategy-based Pillars of Eternity game instead.

It’s also true for many others at the studio, as they too have proposed their unique takes on a Pillars tactics game. Who knows, perhaps in the future…

Josh Sawyer explains that suggesting a project focused on Pillars tactics could be challenging, given the current niche status of the strategy-RPG genre and the need for developers to judiciously allocate resources. Nevertheless, he and the team at Obsidian are captivated by the concept of Strategy-RPGs and appreciate their dedicated, enthusiastic fanbase who eagerly play these games extensively, despite their skill levels.

Could a tactical Pillars of Eternity games actually happen someday?

The idea of making a tactical Pillars of Eternity game is an interesting idea to shake up the formula, as these games often use combat systems akin to real-time strategy times that you can pause to make strategic plays. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire played around with the idea of turn-based combat when it included a turn-based mode, but it wasn’t received well, as the game was designed with real-time strategic combat in mind. 

Although praised as some of Obsidian’s finest PC games, I haven’t had a chance to play any Pillars of Eternity titles because my preference lies more with RPGs featuring turn-based combat, such as Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Yet, if Obsidian were to develop a Pillars of Eternity game focused on tactical turn-based gameplay from the get-go, I’d be open to experiencing this series for myself.

We’ll simply have to watch and find out if this concept materializes in the future. In the interim, enthusiasts of Obsidian can eagerly anticipate playing Avowed, their upcoming high-budget first-person RPG, which is set for release on February 18, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S and PC through Windows and Steam.

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2024-09-27 15:39