"Tabletop D&D Has Lost Its Way" Says Pathfinder Video Game Exec

Feargus Urquhart, one of the execs from Obsidian Entertainment, which is behind an upcoming Pathfinder-themed video game, told Polygon why the company chose to go with Paizo rather than WotC for tabletop fantasy inspired games. "One of the reasons we actually went with Pathfinder was ... how do you say it? I'll just say it: We were having a hard time figuring out how to move forward with Dungeons and Dragons." The issue, he says, is that "D&D is a part of Wizards of the Coast and WotC is a part of Hasbro" and that he would "love to see D&D be bought by someone and become what it was before... Become TSR again."

Of course, TSR went bankrupt, so I'm not sure wishing that on somebody is a kindness.

Urquhart is a long-time D&D video game exec, having worked on games like Neverwinter Nights 2; he points out that "I'm probably one of the people who has one of the most electronic D&D games that they've worked on". Now, of course, his company has moved on to Paizo's Pathfinder.

The upcoming Obsidian video games will be based on the Pathfinder games - specifically a tablet game based on the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, due in the next few months. The studio is, of course, known to tabletop RPG fans for D&D games like Neverwinter Nights 2. Urquhart did hint at non-card-game based projects, saying that "We're thinking about how can we take traditional RPG stuff and put it on the tablet. No one has solved it really."

You can read the short interview here.

​

 

[Eejit]

The issue, he says, is that "D&D is a part of Wizards of the Coast and WotC is a part of Hasbro" and that he would "love to see D&D be bought by someone and become what it was before... Become TSR again."

Obsidian's best computer RPG to date (NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer) was based on 3.5E by WotC...

 

[doctorhook]

Great, somebody with a microphone has shown up to rehash the same ol' dead-horse arguments that "WotC sux, Ha$bro sux, TSR 4eva!1!"

On the other hand, maybe this will be the poke the beast needs to start (continue?) improving its relationships and licensing agreements with other companies.

 

[National Acrobat]

Obsidian's best computer RPG to date (NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer) was based on 3.5E by WotC...

I am unfamiliar with the timeline, but did Hasbro own WoTC at that time, or was WoTC it's own entity during that time? I think the issue that is being expressed is that Hasbro presents an extra hurdle or layer of issues to deal with when trying to license D&D for things such as video games, et al.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Judging by his comments, he hasn't even seen, read, or played 5e. It's more like a TSR edition than the two previous editions before it.

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

Grain of salt applied. Obsidian's opinions don't hold much weight for me, since NWN2 was crap compared to the first one, in my opinion. I was quite disappointed when I learned that Paizo had partnered with them.

 

[Eejit]

I am unfamiliar with the timeline, but did Hasbro own WoTC at that time, or was WoTC it's own entity during that time? I think the issue that is being expressed is that Hasbro presents an extra hurdle or layer of issues to deal with when trying to license D&D for things such as video games, et al.

WotC has been owned by Hasbro since 1999. NWN2 and expansions were released in 2006, 07, 08.

 

[Eejit]

Grain of salt applied. Obsidian's opinions don't hold much weight for me, since NWN2 was crap compared to the first one, in my opinion. I was quite disappointed when I learned that Paizo had partnered with them.

NWN2 had its strengths - like having a full party compared to 1 companion at a time in NWN1. The best thing about 2 was the Mask of the Betrayer expansion though. It's right up there with the Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate 2 games when it comes to top CRPGs.

 

[delericho]

It's a curious interview.

As regards the tabletop game he might actually be onto something: it is true that D&D (RPG) won't make the sorts of money Hasbro will see from some other games, except in exceptional "new edition" years, and it's also true that it relies on community involvement in a way that Monopoly and Jenga do not.

However, I'm not sure how that relies ties into his decision to have Obsidian take the Pathfinder license rather than a D&D one - partly because the success of a video game only tangentially relies on the tabletop RPG anyway, but partly because one of the stated pillars of WotC's current strategy is precisely that they're looking to license. So, really, it seems an ideal fit... if not for Obsidian then for someone.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I read the: "We were having a hard time figuring out how to move forward with Dungeons and Dragons." as: "We can't get a licensing agreement with WotC". Which is a bit sad.