Xbox's continued "rest" has seen a further reduction in jobs, possible shuttering of studios, and several shake-ups in how the companies report and are structured, with one of the biggest surprises being Obsidian reporting to (and thus being "under") Bethesda. How that shakes out remains to be seen, but Bethesda has commented on its relationship with Obsidian, especially as Obsidian is also making a Fallout game.

While Bethesda's Todd Howard has previously dismissed any perceived Bethesda-Obsidian rivalry as fan chatter, it does feel odd for Obsidian to be "under" Bethesda. Obsidian Entertainment has released several games under the Xbox Game Studios banner, including both Grounded titles, Pentiment, and Avowed. That said, Obsidian previously created Fallout: New Vegas and has had some kind of relationship with Bethesda for a long time. And according to Bethesda's president, that relationship isn't necessarily changing that much.

Fans of the Fallout franchise can look forward to the release of Raven Rock, which is set to release next year.

Jill Braff, Microsoft's president of Bethesda and Casual Games, addressed concerns about the change in a recent email. According to Aftermath, which obtained the email, Braff said Obsidian's creative identity will remain intact, while Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart and the existing leadership team will continue running the studio. Obsidian will simply now report directly to Braff, as opposed to its prior supervision due to the new structure:

"The creative identity and strengths that make Obsidian distinct will remain at the core of their studio and work.

Source link