Fallout: New Vegas Devs Want to Work on Obscure Series

Obsidian Entertainment's CEO has expressed strong interest in developing a lesser-known Microsoft game franchise. This article explores why this particular IP has caught the eye of the renowned RPG studio.

Obsidian's CEO Wants to Breathe New Life into Shadowrun

Beyond Fallout: A New Frontier

"I love Shadowrun. I think it's incredibly cool," Urquhart declared, explaining that he requested a list of Microsoft IPs following the company's acquisition of Obsidian. The subsequent acquisition of Activision significantly expanded this list, yet Urquhart remained focused on a specific title. "If I had to choose one, yes, Shadowrun is it," he confirmed.

Obsidian has established itself by crafting compelling entries within existing game universes. Although they've successfully created original worlds with titles like Alpha Protocol and The Outer Worlds, their legacy is undeniably linked to established RPG franchises. From Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights 2 to Fallout: New Vegas and Dungeon Siege III, Obsidian consistently demonstrates a mastery of expanding existing narratives.

In a 2011 interview with Joystiq, Urquhart shed light on the studio's preference for sequels: "RPGs lend themselves to sequels because you can continuously build upon the world and create new storylines. From that perspective, developing sequels is advantageous, as it allows us to explore established universes."

While Urquhart and Obsidian's vision for a Shadowrun game remains undisclosed, securing the license would undoubtedly place the beloved world in capable hands. The CEO himself is a longtime fan of the tabletop RPG: "I bought the book when it first launched. I probably own four out of the six editions."

The Shadowrun Saga: A Look Back

The history of Shadowrun is as complex as its cyberpunk-fantasy setting. Originating as a tabletop RPG in 1989, it has spawned numerous video game adaptations. Following FASA Corporation's closure, the pen-and-paper rights changed hands several times, but the video game rights remained with Microsoft after its acquisition of FASA Interactive in 1999.

Harebrained Schemes has developed several Shadowrun games in recent years, but fans eagerly anticipate a new, original title. The last standalone Shadowrun game, Shadowrun: Hong Kong, was released in 2015. Remastered versions of earlier titles were released for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in 2022, yet the community's desire for a fresh Shadowrun experience persists.