Avowed developer Obsidian Entertainment has a goal to be around for at least 100 years–it’s already a 22-year-old institution–and its current leadership team believes it can meet this ambitious goal by taking a pragmatic approach to developing new video games.
Speaking at the DICE Summit this week (via PC Gamer), Obsidian Entertainment VP of operations Marcus Morgan and VP of development Justin Britch explained how delivering new titles consistently and focusing on realistic sales expectations are part of its strategy to be around for another 78 years. As Morgan and Britch explained, this is part of their overall vision for the studio, with key elements revolving around staying “lean and invested” as the years tick by.
What this means in practical terms is that Obsidian is aiming for “mild success” as Britch defined it, while also ensuring that it has a manageable number of employees. Additionally, Obsidian isn’t aiming to deliver games that feature groundbreaking visuals or an obscene level of scale, as the studio spends a considerable amount of time examining just how many resources it’ll need to commit to a project before it’s officially greenlit. This in turn allows the studio to be profitable, but not “super-profitable” with every game release.