Josh Sawyer, essentially the mastermind behind Pillars of Eternity, has revealed what direction Obsidian Entertainment would pursue if they went ahead with a new Pillars of Eternity.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is an RPG that never got the attention or recognition it deserved. Its weak sales led to a fair amount of existential anxiety for Obsidian, and the studio has only flirted with the idea of a sequel since. Let’s imagine that sequel actually exists—and that the team did their re-evaluation back in 2019. What would the developers do differently today? In an interview with Gamepressure, design director Josh Sawyer says a shift to 3D would likely be the answer.

“I’ve said this before, and a few people have gotten really, really upset about it, but I think if we moved to a 3D environment, we could make up for one of our shortcomings. Since Pillars of Eternity 2 is isometric, you lose any sense of height and the world can’t be truly dynamic. Compare it to something like Baldur’s Gate 3, and it’s obvious where the appeal lies. I’d love to see a game that keeps all the Deadfire mechanics, but adds more environmental systems, elevation hazards, and dynamic terrain. That would be super cool. I think a third game should be isometric 3D, with an environment like Baldur’s Gate 3. That would work,” Sawyer explains, likely tapping into the deep nostalgia many fans feel for classic CRPGs.

It would be an undeniably bold project for Obsidian, who just released Avowed this year, with Grounded 2 on the way and The Outer Worlds 2 launching soon for $80 (about 32,000 forints). Of course, this is still only speculation, but knowing Microsoft, it’s not out of the question a few years down the line.

Switching to 3D would mark a major change in direction for Obsidian. At the same time, it could be a risky move that might disappoint long-time fans of the first two games if the studio chooses to follow Sawyer’s vision.

Source: PCGamer, Gamepressure