Today marks Pillars of Eternity's 10-year anniversary. Released on March 26, 2015, and conceived as a modern spiritual successor to beloved CRPGs like Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment, the history behind Pillars of Eternity is strongly linked to developer Obsidian Entertainment's philosophy and design sensibilities. While it had already built a good reputation, especially within the RPG sector, with entries like Fallout 2, Icewind Dale, and S tar Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the period leading up to PoE's announcement, development, and release was a rockier one for the studio.
Ahead of Pillars of Eternity's conception, Obsidian was in danger of shutting its doors. Considering its options, it made the decision to Kickstart the project. As a new fantasy IP to be largely independently fan-funded, this entailed a big risk at the time, but it also presented the developer a possible path forward. Game Director Josh Sawyer later commented on this, stating, "We said to ourselves, look, somebody is going to Kickstart an isometric 2D background with 3D characters, real-time with pause, fantasy role-playing game. If we don't do it, we're just going to miss a perfect opportunity." Pillars of Eternity subsequently went on to see great success, allowing Obsidian to stabilize, and leading it into a firm position where it stands now.
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10 Years Ago, Pillars of Eternity Put Obsidian Entertainment Back on the Map
Pillars of Eternity Was a Bold Move That Paid Off in Spaces for Obsidian
Obsidian's parent companies and publishing partners had been facing financial and other problems for a few years, and the studio found itself in a dire situation due to these and related issues. But developers had been mulling over a couple of ideas, one of which would eventually become the foundation for Pillars of Eternity. Despite some uncertainty, they decided to move forward with the project and gauge fan interest via crowdfunding, starting on September 14, 2012.
Pillars of Eternity was Kickstarted to huge success. It reached its 1 million dollar target budget in just over one day, closing out its campaign roughly a month later having raised just shy of 4 million, making it the most-funded video game on Kickstarter at the time. With the necessary finances secured and then some, Obsidian then found a publishing partner in Paradox Interactive. The studio was saved from shuttering, and could focus efforts on creating a satisfying game experience in its area of expertise.
A board game adaption, Pillars of Eternity: Lords of the Eastern Reach, developed by Zero Radius Games in collaboration with Obsidian, was announced shortly after PoE's release, on May 19, 2015. It also achieved its Kickstarter goal within a day.
How Pillars of Eternity Paved the Road to Obsidian's Resurgence
Pillars of Eternity launched to good reception, and currently sits at an 89 Top Critic Average and 80 Player Rating on OpenCritic. Its success led to a sequel in 2018, and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire would go on to surpass the original's impressive fundraising numbers. Later in 2018, Obsidian was brought under the banner of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios. With the backing of MS, Obsidian has produced a number of notable releases since PoE:
- The Outer Worlds (2019)
- Pentiment (2022)
- Grounded (2022)
- Avowed (2025)
We said, look, somebody is going to Kickstart an isometric 2D background with 3D characters, real-time with pause, role-playing fantasy game. If we don't do it, we're just going to miss a perfect opportunity.
-Josh Sawyer, Pillars of Eternity Game Director
Pillars of Eternity was the catalyst that changed Obsidian's fortunes and lifted it from the previously precarious spot it had, in large part through no fault of its own, been placed in. The series introduced the setting of Eora, and the latest entry in the franchise, Avowed, released this past February to favorable sales and reviews. The studio is also on track to release The Outer Worlds 2 later this year.
The first PoE title, then, marked an important moment and turning point ten years ago for Obsidian. By taking a calculated gamble, Pillars of Eternity gave Obsidian the chance to re-establish itself and continue producing quality games since, and thanks to this, the studio's future is looking brighter than ever.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- March 26, 2015
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive, Versus Evil
- Engine
- Unity
- Franchise
- Pillars of Eternity
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
