Obsidian will remain a "distinct" Obsidian with their own "creative identity and strengths", despite no longer operating independently of fellow Xbox-owned RPG makers Bethesda. That's according to Jill Braff, president of Bethesda and Microsoft's casual games division, in a memo sent to staff at the former following this week's layoffs and reorganising of studios at Xbox.

"Obsidian has extraordinary creative talent, deep expertise, and a long history of creating memorable games and experiences," the exec wrote in the memo, which has been published by IGN. "I’m looking forward to working more closely with them. Today’s announcement is primarily a change in reporting structure. The creative identity and strengths that make Obsidian distinct will remain at the core of their studio and work.

"[CEO] Feargus [Urquhart] and the Obsidian leadership team will continue to lead Obsidian, with the studio reporting to me. Bethesda Game Studios will continue to lead the Fallout franchise. Together, the teams will build on their longstanding relationship and the early work already underway on a new Fallout project, with more to share in the months ahead. This structure supports the franchise-led model we’ve been strengthening while keeping accountability for both the studio and the franchise clear."

Braff added that this isn't a case of the company "resetting [their] roadmap or asking teams to change what they’re focused on", and that they'll instead "take the time to understand how teams can best support one another, and where closer partnership can benefit our players and fans".

To be fair, that switch in focus already happened for at least some of Obsidian's remaining devs prior to this week's cuts, with them being put to work on that new Fallout game helmed by New Vegas director Josh Sawyer .

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