Josh Sawyer’s Next Adventure: Balancing New Horizons and Classic Inspirations
Obsidian’s Avowed is set to be a massive, AAA, first-person RPG, while also serving as a follow-up to the studio’s own Pillars of Eternity – a duo of isometric RPGs that revived interest in the classic Baldur’s Gate series. Josh Sawyer, the director behind the original Pillars games and other Obsidian masterpieces like Fallout: New Vegas, is involved in the development of Avowed but appears to be more inclined towards new intellectual properties for this next major project.
Last year, Sawyer expressed that he’d gladly create Pillars of Eternity 3, but it would indeed require the budget of Baldur’s Gate 3 to persuade him. Is he still interested in developing a third installment? “I’m not certain,” he shared with RPG Site. “I feel like with Avowed, the Pillars universe has evolved. It will be fascinating to see how audiences respond to that, and perhaps that’s where the Pillars universe will progress in the future. There are numerous possibilities for what we could do next. I find myself more inclined to pursue original IP rather than existing ones. But we’ll see what the future holds.”
Although Avowed is set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity, Sawyer is not at the helm of this project. He cites burnout as a key reason for not wanting to direct the game. “I simply wasn’t in the right headspace to develop new game ideas or even work on them or direct anything,” he mentioned to RPG Site. “That’s not the case now. I am involved in Avowed. I occupy an advisory position, but I contributed some writing and helped with system design and other tasks. Essentially, I’m assisting wherever needed. I’m also brainstorming ideas for future projects.”
His most recent project was Pentiment, a charming small narrative about a 16th-century artist. While it may not be as grandiose as a major RPG, it was one of our selections for the best games of 2022 and serves as a remarkable illustration of what happens when a talented director like Sawyer is granted creative freedom. If Sawyer can infuse some of that magic into another original IP, count me in as an enthusiastic fan.
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Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022 and is currently based in Missouri. He has been immersed in gaming (with occasional forays into anime and professional wrestling) since 2015, starting as a freelancer before serving as a content writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His passion for gaming ignited somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and nowadays you can typically find him dividing his leisure time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure game, or long sessions in American Truck Simulator.