Obsidian Entertainment released Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire in May 2018 and has not released any news about another sequel to the Pillars series since then. Now studio design director Josh Sawyer says he wants to develop Pillars of Eternity 3 – if the game gets the same budget as Baldur’s Gate 3.
In a video interview with Dr Touch the lanes On Pentiment’s anniversary, Sawyer said that while he loved the first two Pillars games, he would happily make Pillars 3 if there were no time or budget constraints. However, the same cannot be said for Pentiment 2.
“I don’t think I’ll do Pentiment 2. I am really happy with the game. It’s not like I never want to go back to it, but I just do, so maybe I’ll wait a little longer.” “A little,” Sawyer said.
“I think if it was really an unlimited budget, I would have tried Pillars 3 because I know what the budget was for Deadfire, which wasn’t that much, and I’ve heard from a lot of people what the budget was for Baldur’s Gate 3. And I won’t talk about numbers, but if I get the budget, I will definitely do the third pillar.”
Sawyer added that if he made Pillar 3, he would use a turn-based combat structure.
The Pillar of Eternity still stands
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire was funded through a crowdfunding campaign launched on Fig in 2017, with a goal of raising $1.1 million, open to $2.25 million in equity. The goal was reached in less than 23 hours, and by the end of the campaign, funding had grown to $4.4 million. On the other hand, Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 had a budget of $100 million. That’s as much as any major Hollywood film.
Both games are inspired by isometric role-playing games of the 1990s, particularly those developed by Black Isle Studios, the forerunner of Obsidian.
We wrote about the original Pillars of Eternity: “Pillars of Eternity embodies almost everything that’s great about the old-school role-playing experience. And the quality of the writing and the attention to every little detail in its world is such that it feels bluesy at times.” Gaiman here in the role of a dungeon master feels like a series classic. Games like this are always about the journey, and it definitely is. It is a journey worth taking.
Fans were enthralled by the original Pillars of Eternity, but the sequel in particular struggled on the sales charts. However, the universe remains in Avoid, which will be released sometime in 2024. It’s not exactly an isometric RPG, but it’ll do for now.
Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to enjoy great success on both PC and consoles, proving that RPGs can find a large audience on PC. For more information, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 guide.
Christina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, he wears his love for Sonic the Hedgehog on his sleeve like it’s a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
