The Odd Couple: Obsidian, Square Enix, and Dungeon Siege III

A new entry to 1UP’s RPG Blog discusses the unexpected teaming of Obsidian Entertainment and Square Enix for the development of what was originally a Gas Powered Games-created franchise. Apparently George Ziets is heading up development on Dungeon Siege III, though, so it’ll be interesting to watch the game’s direction unfold:

At the moment, much of Obsidian’s “A” team seems to be tied up with New Vegas, including top designers Chris Avellone and Josh Sawyer. But with George Ziets serving as the creative lead, Dungeon Siege III shouldn’t be lacking for interesting ideas.

One of Ziets’ more recent projects was the Mask of the Betrayer expansion to Neverwinter Nights 2, which among other things contained the controversial “spirit eating mechanic.” It also features characters like Okku the Rainbow Bear God and One of Many, the latter of which can change its class depending on souls it consumes. So that should give you an idea of what Ziets will bring Dungeon Siege’s fairly generic fantasy universe.

I’m also looking forward to seeing what Obsidian brings to the table in terms of gameplay mechanics, particularly given that the franchise is making the jump to home consoles. When Dungeon Siege III was first announced, Chris Taylor said that he was finished with party-based mechanics, but they seem to have returned intact for the Obsidian version. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the new four-player co-op mechanic, which I’m sure will be one of the game’s primary draws.