Obsidian game director Brandon Adler has criticized what he called “an enormous amount of misinformation” about the studio that has emerged online following reports that the developer is working on another game. fallout game. He took particular issue with fans' skepticism about whether Obsidian could do the project justice. fallout The spinoff is no longer with the studio.
Microsoft's embattled gaming division announced another major restructuring on July 6, with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirming plans to cut about 3,200 jobs, or about 20% of the division's staff. The company has already identified and notified half of the affected employees, with the remaining layoffs expected by the end of June 2027, the end of Microsoft's current fiscal year. The massive restructuring affected Xbox studios of all sizes, including Obsidian, which lost about a quarter of its 220-person workforce. Microsoft said the cuts did not lead to the cancellation of any of its projects that had already been released. As for the rest, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports that several unannounced Obsidian games were shelved during the restructuring, with a significant portion of the studio instead being put to work on new games. fallout game.
Obsidian director dismisses fan skepticism about new Fallout game
In a July 11 LinkedIn post, Obsidian game director Brandon Adler said goodbye to the dozens of colleagues who lost their jobs in the latest Xbox layoffs. “It’s been a very difficult week at Obsidian,” Adler wrote, before addressing what he called “another difficult aspect.” He thought the online criticism of the studio was completely unfair. Adler was particularly upset by claims that Obsidian no longer had the talent to produce great games. Fallout: New Vegas The creative team has left the studio. “It’s shocking how many times I’ve seen people talk about how Obsidian isn’t what it used to be, without any understanding of who worked on previous games or what they contributed to,” he wrote.
Adler insists that even though there aren't many New Vegas developers, the studio's 'DNA' hasn't changed.
Adler said that even after the recent layoffs, most of Obsidian's senior creative roles are still filled by veterans who have worked in the field. Fallout: New Vegas, pillar of eternity, outside worldOther well-received RPGs. While he acknowledged that no company has stayed the same for 20 years, he insisted that Obsidian's creative “DNA” remains the same as ever, and flatly dismissed online speculation to the contrary as coming from uninformed “cold take artists.”
I've seen so many people say that Obsidian isn't what it used to be, without any understanding of who worked on the previous games or what they contributed to… It's amazing. In most cases, they're not just wrong, they're often spreading massive amounts of misinformation.
Adler's decision to address criticism of Obsidian highlights how vocal they have been recently, but they don't necessarily represent the majority of player opinions. Many longtime fans have expressed strong enthusiasm about the prospect of another product developed by Obsidian. fallout The game after the project's existence was leaked online on July 8.
Adler's argument is broadly consistent with Obsidian's posthumous findings.new vegas solidarity. Because it's a fan favorite Mojave set. fallout The game was released in 2010, and the studio has released more than six popular RPGs, including: South Park: The Stick of Truth, tyranny, groundedand Pentiment. Two titles in 2025, declared and The Outer Worlds 2As of mid-2026, they only have “mostly positive” user reviews on Steam, both have scores in the low 80s on OpenCritic, and have been nominated for several major awards in addition to winning a few smaller awards. So Obsidian's level of quality still appears to exceed that of many mid-sized studios.
Of course, that record doesn't guarantee the rumors are true. fallout The project will succeed, but it provides grounds for confidence. The prospect is further enhanced by its presence. fallout Producer Tim Cain, currently working at Obsidian. Cain will retire at the end of 2025 to contribute to an unannounced project, raising the possibility that he could once again work on the post-apocalyptic series he helped create.
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October 19, 2010
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M (Mature): Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual content, strong language, drug use.
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Image via Bethesda