Published , by Charles Singletary Jr
Published , by Charles Singletary Jr
The writing may have been on the wall when it comes to the latest rumor about Microsoft attempting to acquire Obsidian Entertainment. In the recently published Shacknews long read Beneath a Starless Sky: Pillars of Eternity and the Infinity Engine Era of RPGs, Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart spoke of enjoying being independent, but not opposed to someone showing up with a "dump truck full of gold bricks."
From the epilogue of Starless Sky:
"Obsidian has grown in numerous ways. From their first office in his attic, to nearly 170 employees; from a work-for-hire studio excited to play in other creators’ sandboxes, to creators happy to balance their own dreams with time spent playing in galaxies molded by others. Only one thing has remained immutable: Obsidian Entertainment was and is independently owned. That could change, provided the circumstances were right. “I'm always very up front: If someone showed up with a dump truck full of gold bricks—not bitcoins, but gold bricks—of course we would sell the company. It would be silly not to, depending on the number. But I do enjoy us being independent,” Urquhart said."
If the anonymous sources are right, it looks like Microsoft has shown up with that dump truck full of gold bricks are at least a very close equivalent. We'll update as more information is made available.