Microsoft is close to acquiring “Pillars of Eternity” studio Obsidian Entertainment, according to a report by Kotaku.
One source told Kotaku the deal is “90%” finished, while another said, “It’s a matter of when, not if.”
Obsidian is an independent developer known for role-playing games like “Knights of the Old Republic II,” “Alpha Protocol,” “Fallout: New Vegas,” and “South Park: The Stick of Truth.” A series of cancelled projects reportedly led to major financial troubles in 2012. The studio was saved from closure, however, by the success of its crowdfunded project “Pillars of Eternity” in 2015, which raised nearly $4 million. It was the highest video game Kickstarter at the time.
Microsoft recently bolstered its first-party offerings with the acquisition of five new studios, including “State of Decay” developer Undead Labs, “Forza Horizon” developer Playground Games, “We Happy Few” studio Compulsion Games, “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice” studio Ninja Theory, and brand-new studio The Initiative. Microsoft executive vice president of gaming and head of Xbox Phil Spencer told CNET in August the company isn’t done beefing up its portfolio just yet.
“I’ve been explicit that we needed to up our investment in our first-party studios, and at E3 we announced the addition of five new studios,” he said. “I don’t think we’re done. People want to play great games on our platform.”
Neither Microsoft nor Obsidian are commenting about the potential acquisition at this time. “Unfortunately, we don’t comment on rumors or speculation other than to say that the Rumors album by Fleetwood Mac still holds up,”an Obsidian spokesperson told Kotaku.
