Fallout: New Vegas

The Outer Worlds and Avowed studio Obsidian should not see too many changes to its day-to-day workings after being absorbed by Bethesda, the publisher claims. Instead, it's more of just a change in Obsidian's reporting structure.

In an internal memo seen and published online by IGN, Bethesda boss Jill Braff explained that the "creative identity and strengths that make Obsidian distinct will remain at the core of their studio and work". Obsidian will continue to be run by Feargus Urquhart and his leadership team, and they'll report to Braff.

Bethesda continues to lead the Fallout series, and now that Obsidian is confirmed to be making a new game in the universe, bringing the two teams closer together in this manner makes a lot of sense.

"Together, the teams will build on their longstanding relationship and the early work already underway on a new Fallout project, with more to share in the months ahead," Braff teased. "This structure supports the franchise-led model we’ve been strengthening while keeping accountability for both the studio and the franchise clear."

While a Fallout 5 project is in early development at Bethesda alongside The Elder Scrolls 6, another new entry is being made by Obsidian. It's best known for creating Fallout: New Vegas. That's coming back in the future alongside Fallout 3 in two remaster projects.

The memo from Braff continues by reassuring staff at Bethesda that none of its roadmaps or priorities have changed after absorbing Obsidian. "We’ll take the time to understand how teams can best support one another, and where closer partnership can benefit our players and fans. We’ll continue communicating as we progress."

Obsidian was absorbed by Bethesda earlier this week as part of another 286 staff layoffs across Xbox Game Studios, as well as structural changes to select developers. The Halo series is now being led by Activision, and Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games are being merged into a single team.

[source ign.com]