Brandon Adler, director of The Outer Worlds 2, has spoken out following Xbox’s latest wave of layoffs and sharply criticized those who claim Obsidian is no longer the studio it once was. According to the veteran developer, the company has naturally changed over the past 20 years, but its creative DNA remains intact.

Xbox’s latest wave of layoffs did not result in any studio closures, but two teams were hit particularly hard: Obsidian and id Software. This time, the focus is not on the creators of DOOM, but on the developers of Fallout: New Vegas, after Brandon Adler, one of Obsidian’s veteran directors, came to the defense of both the studio and its employees. While the California-based team may return to the Wasteland with a new Fallout, Adler praised the colleagues who are leaving and described claims that Obsidian “isn’t what it used to be” as misinformation.

Adler, who has spent two decades at the studio, described the past week as one of the most difficult periods of his career in a post published on LinkedIn. The director of The Outer Worlds 2, who also served as design director on Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, wrote: “This has been an extremely difficult week at Obsidian. Not only have I had to say goodbye to some amazing game developers, but I’ve also had to say goodbye to some of my best friends.”

In this context, Adler sharply criticized what he called “artists of easy opinions,” referring to people who judge the studio without understanding how it operates internally. “The number of times I’ve seen people, without understanding who worked on our previous games or what their contribution was, talk about how Obsidian isn’t what it used to be is astounding. Most of the time they’re not only wrong, but they also spread a huge amount of misinformation,” he wrote. Adler added that many members of the current creative leadership team are the same people who worked on Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds, and Pillars of Eternity, including some who held management or production roles.

The director also emphasized that the studio’s creative identity has not disappeared despite the passage of time. “Is Obsidian the same as it was 20 years ago? No, of course not. Nothing stays the same. But Obsidian’s DNA remains the same as it always was. The same DNA that created Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout: New Vegas, Neverwinter Nights 2, and South Park: The Stick of Truth. I’m very proud of our history and also excited about what we’ve become,” he stated. According to Adler, those who question that legacy do not understand how video games are actually developed.

The creative director also used his message to personally recommend the employees affected by the layoffs to other studios. “If you’re looking to hire one of these former Obsidian developers, you’ll be hiring some of the best people, both professionally and personally,” he wrote, highlighting the talent leaving the studio as a result of Microsoft’s restructuring.

Obsidian Dreams of Returning to Its Latest Medieval Fantasy RPG

In any case, Obsidian will continue working on Xbox projects, and not only because of Fallout. Although the studio has repeatedly expressed interest in returning to the Wasteland with Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer at the helm, it also hopes Microsoft will greenlight a sequel to Avowed. The RPG, released in 2025, achieved moderate sales, but the team is not ready to abandon its new franchise and is already developing ideas for a possible follow-up should the company ultimately approve the project.

Source: 3DJuegos