Support for Josh Sawyer: Exploring the Future of RPGs Beyond Pillars of Eternity

Michael Douse, the publishing director for Baldur's Gate 3, has expressed support for Josh Sawyer, the mind behind Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, sharing his desire for Sawyer to receive sufficient resources to create his ideal role-playing game. Douse's enthusiasm came in light of Sawyer's recent comments about his reluctance to pursue another installment of Pillars of Eternity, citing a disconnect with the game's core audience, particularly regarding its romance elements.

In reaction to this, Douse has publicly backed Sawyer and expressed his eagerness to see another RPG project brought to life by him. Currently serving as a design director at Obsidian, Sawyer is not actively involved in any ongoing projects. Douse highlighted Sawyer's exceptional design skills and the potential for building an audience around his future work, emphasizing a strong desire to experience that next great game he envisions.

Recently, Sawyer directed the well-received narrative adventure game Pentiment at Obsidian. Meanwhile, the studio is gearing up for the release of Avowed, a significant RPG scheduled for 2025, which is set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity. However, Sawyer will not be directing this title, as he is taking a break due to previous burnout. His future projects remain uncertain, but he has discussed specific conditions that would need to be fulfilled for him to consider returning to the Fallout franchise.

In discussing his potential return, Sawyer posed a crucial question about his motivations: what new elements he would want to explore that were not possible in earlier projects. If the limitations of a franchise are too restrictive, it can be a challenge, as it can detract from the creative excitement of working on a project that lacks freedom for innovation.