Alpha Protocol ‘officially’ pushed to 2010

Here’s a bit of a non shocker - SEGA of America and SEGA Europe Ltd. officially announced that Alpha Protocol, Obsidian Entertainment’s much anticipated and first original RPG (an espionage thriller) will be moving to a spring 2010 release date for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the PC. Didn’t we already know this and was there any doubt about that fact? Online retailers pushed the date into 2010 awhile ago. Anyway, here’s Obsidian sounding absolutely delighted about the delay - shouldn’t the tone be a little bit somber?

“We’re very happy that SEGA has made the decision to hold back the shipment of the game in order to give it the best chance at becoming the publishing success that we at Obsidian and our partners at SEGA are striving for.“

“We’ve worked in conjunction with Obsidian Entertainment in making the decision to move Alpha Protocol’s ship date to spring 2010 to ensure that we have the best game possible at launch,” said Masanao Maeda, President and COO, SEGA of America.”

And there you have it and it’s official: no Alpha Protocol in 2009.

Official: Aliens RPG cancelled

While it has never been officially confirmed it was pretty obvious to anyone following the Aliens themed RPG’s development that the game project was in serious trouble - if not completely stalled. According to a report on Big Download, it has been confirmed that Aliens RPG has been cancelled. The game was being developed by Obsidian Entertainment for publisher Sega.

In a forum post over at Obsidian Entertainment’s official website, a moderator posted the following statement:

“Unfortunately, it is true that we are no longer working on the game, and we wanted to finally announce that officially to everyone who has been following its development.”

Sega also confirmed it with GameSpot, saying “At this point, Sega has no plans to move forward with the Aliens RPG.”

Obsidian still has plenty of interesting projects in the works including the espionage themed action-RPG Alpha Protocol and the Fallout: New Vegas game. A third unannounced title is reportedly in development as well.

Obsidian Taking Fallout to Vegas

At a press conference earlier today in London, Bethesda surprised everyone by announcing that there will be a new Fallout game releasing in 2010. The game, called Fallout: New Vegas, is not a direct sequel to Fallout 3 and will not be developed by Bethesda. Instead, this time around we’ll be seeing the vision of Obsidian Entertainment, which you may remember as Black Isle - the original developers of Fallout 2.

Pete Hines, VP of Marketing and PR for Bethesda, had very few details about the project other than the fact that it’s neither a sequel nor alternate game type: New Vegas will be an RPG. “It’s not a sequel to Fallout 3, it’s just another game in the universe, and it has no impact whatsoever on whatever Todd Howard [long-time designer/producer at Bethesda] and his team are working on,” said Hines. Of the limited details available, Hines did comment that the game is targeted for release on PC, 360 and PS3 in 2010.

Obsidian: We Are Doing Fine

No need to panic if you are a fan of Obsidian, the company that is more well known for finishing BioWare’s lunch than anything else. The company that brought you Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights 2 (see what i’m saying here?) tells Big Download that the company is in fine shape, despite rumors to the contrary. These rumors began when it was revealed that Sega had killed the Aliens RPG the company was working on. But the company founded by key members of the wonderful Black Isle Studios (Planescape Torment and Icewind Dale) ia not a one trick pony; they are still working on the promising spy RPG Alpha Protocol and a couple of other undisclosed projects.

Feargus Urquhart, CEO of Obsidian sums it up nicely here: “We are doing fine.”

We’re certainly glad to hear that and i’m looking forward to whatever projects they are toiling away on. For the record I love Neverwinter Nights 2 and KOTOR II..

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir at E3

Perhaps i’m alone here, but I thought Neverwinter Nights 2 was pretty good, so I’m kind of jazzed that Obsidian is taking some time away from Sega’s espionage RPG (Alpha Protocol) to make another expansion for the game. The new expansion, Storm of Zehir, is currently on display at E3 but players will have to wait until late 2008 to get their clammy little hands on it.

The expansion returns to the formula that made Baldur’s Gate and the first Neverwinter game so popular: open-ended adventures and environments. Players can expect full party customization, dungeon crawling, free exploration in a non-linear game world via an Overland Map and good old commerce - by hook or by crook.

Using the overland map, players will be able to explore the Sword Coast and Samarach and put skills like Spot and Survival to good use, uncovering new locales and points of interest. You’ll also be able to put together a party of your own created characters without being locked into carrying the dead weight of an NPC around, which is nice. Parties have been improved with streamlined party conversations, a new Teamwork Benefit System, and new powerful party feats.

Economy will also be important in the expansion, because players will be able to manipulate it through commerce and trade. Players can create and grow a merchant company or join the black market and earn money the old fashioned way (by stealing it). Finally, a whole new set of class are in the works, along with new prestige classes, spells, creatures, and playable races.

Look for Neverwinter Nights 2 to expand in Q4 2008.