Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Interview

Obsidian Entertainment’s Kevin Saunders has taken the time to answer several questions about Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer and his video game development history in a new interview at Warcry.

Q: How did you come to be employed at Obsidian? Did you start as a night janitor and work your way up or just land in the big bucks slot right away?

A: I joined Obsidian over three years ago as a senior designer on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. I’d previously worked mostly on MMOGs or RTSs (or both!) and was interested in getting involved in role-playing games. I hadn’t actually played many Black Isle games, but I was familiar with their reputation and had respect for the owners after interviewing with them. I also liked the idea of working for a smaller company where I could really contribute.

For KotOR2, I did some work on Nar Shadda, but was more involved on the systems side of design, working on the items and crafting, creature auto-balancing, influence system – things like that. I was the lead designer on project “New Jersey,” which was never announced, and then helped with finishing up NWN2 over its last six months or so.

Was? Did New Jersey get put on hold or even cancelled?