Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Fig Campaign Announced (2)

After what seemed like an eternity of hints and conjecture, Obsidian Entertainment has officially announced Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – the sequel to its 2015 role-playing game Pillars of Eternity – as well as a corresponding crowdfunding campaign on Fig to fund its development.

The sequel’s announcement is the culmination of a week’s worth of speculation by Obsidian fans who had been trying to read the tea leaves coyly left by the developer in the form of a mysterious image on their website, a sub-forum on their web site bearing the code name “Project Louisiana,” and a series of cryptic tweets all alluding to the reveal.

According to Obsidian’s press release, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will feature a new adventure set on the uncharted Deadfire Archipelago in the world of Eora. Like its predecessor, Deadfire will make use of “tactical combat” and players will experience a “rich narrative” and “beautiful environments.” With this sequel, Obsidian hopes to “improve on what fans loved about the original while adding features our fans want to see.”

With the curtain now officially pulled back and the sequel’s existence confirmed, Obsidian can commence their Fig campaign to fund the game’s development. According to their statement, Obsidian is soliciting fan contributions with the hopes of reaching a fundraising goal of $1.1 million. Development of the original Pillars of Eternity was similarly funded, with Obsidian clocking in over $4 million in contributions back in 2012.

The announcement of a Pillars of Eternity sequel is news of particular resonance to the GameBanshee community. An isometric, party-based role-playing game, the original Pillars of Eternity was in many ways a spiritual successor to games such as the Baldur’s Gate series, the Icewind Dale series, and Planescape: Torment, titles that many community members hold dear. Moreover, GameBanshee played a role in aiding the development of the original Pillars of Eternity. In 2012, many GameBanshee members raised substantial funds for the original game’s development, while Buck, GameBanshee’s owner, had the opportunity to glean inside information from Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart in an interview and to play a part in the conception of the original game.

Suffice it to say, we at the GameBanshee community will be watching the development of Deadfire with great interest.

Additional information about the game – including its Fig information – can be found at this site.

The full press release from Obsidian:

OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES PILLARS OF ETERNITY II: DEADFIRE – SEQUEL TO THE CROWDFUNDED, AND AWARD-WINNING VIDEO GAME

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire In Development for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux

IRVINE, CA — January 26, 2017 — Today, Obsidian Entertainment announces its isometric, party-based role-playing game (RPG) Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, a sequel to the critically-acclaimed Pillars of Eternity. Currently in development for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux, the fan-funding campaign in support of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire kicks off today on Fig (www.fig.co) offering both equity and rewards opportunities, with an overall goal of $1.1M USD, $2.25M being open for equity.

“We are so thankful to our fans, who believed in us and made the original Pillars a huge crowdfunding success. For the sequel, we have turned to Fig for our fan-funding needs because we not only wanted our fans to help shape Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, but to financially share in its potential as well,” said Feargus Urquhart, CEO of Obsidian Entertainment. “Pillars of Eternity set the standard for quality among fan-funded games by not only delivering an amazing game, but also making good on everything we promised to our backers. Our goal for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is to improve on what fans loved about the original while adding features our fans want to see, truly living cities, more freedom to explore the open world, and pushing what we do best at Obsidian – letting players define and play the role they want to play.”

Inspired by classic titles such as Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire improves upon the rich narrative, beautiful environments, and intricate, tactical combat that made the original a fan and critical sensation. With Deadfire, Obsidian will take players on a second fantastic journey to the world of Eora, this time to the vast, uncharted, Deadfire Archipelago, where they will fight for their souls as they hunt down a god.