Obsidian Entertainment released Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire in May 2018, and it hasn’t given any news of another sequel to the Pillars series ever since. Now, studio design director Josh Sawyer said he would love to develop Pillars of Eternity 3 — under the condition the game receives the same budget as Baldur’s Gate 3.
In a video interview with Touch Arcade about the anniversary of Pentiment, Sawyer said that, while he loved the first two Pillars games, he would love to make Pillars 3 if there weren’t any time or budget constraints. He didn’t say the same for Pentiment 2, however.
“I don’t think I would make Pentiment 2. I really do feel very satisfied with that game. It’s not like I don’t wanna return to it ever, but I just did it, so I’d probably wait a little bit,” Sawyer said.
“I think if it truly was an unlimited budget, I think I would try Pillars 3 because I know what the budget was for Deadfire, which was not a whole lot and I have heard from multiple people what the budget was for Baldur’s Gate 3, and I’m not gonna talk about numbers, but if I got that budget, sure, I’ll make Pillars 3.”
Sawyer added that if he were to make Pillars 3, he would employ a turn-based combat structure.
Pillars of Eternity lives on
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire was funded through a crowdfunding campaign Obsidian launched on Fig in 2017 with the goal of raising $1.1 million, with $2.25 million open for equity. The goal was met in under 23 hours, with the funds further raised to $4.4 million by the end of the campaign. Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios, on the other hand, had a budget of $100 million. That’s the same amount as any major Hollywood movie.
Both games draw inspiration from the isometric RPGs of the 90s, particularly the ones developed by Black Isle Studios, which was the precursor to Obsidian.
We wrote of the original Pillars of Eternity, “Pillars of Eternity embodies nearly everything that’s great about old-school RPG experiences. and the quality of its writing and the attention given to every little detail of its world is such that it sometimes feels like Neil Gaiman is playing dungeon master here. Most importantly, Pillars of Eternity paves the way for what should become a landmark RPG series in its own right. It honors the classics, brings great ideas of its own, and in the process it emerges as a classic itself. Games like this are always about the journey, and it’s sure as hell a journey worth taking.”
Both the original Pillars of Eternity were adored by fans, but the sequel in particular struggled on the sales charts. The universe lives on in Avowed, though, which is slated to release sometime in 2024. It’s not quite an isometric RPG, but it’ll do for now.
As for Baldur’s Gate 3, it continues to enjoy big success on both PC and console, proving that turn-based PC RPGs can find a mass audience. For more info, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 guides.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.