Fallout: New Vegas Devs Eye Obscure Franchise

Obsidian Entertainment’s CEO has expressed strong interest in a relatively unknown Microsoft IP. Read on to learn more about why this franchise has captivated the acclaimed RPG studio.

Obsidian CEO Wants to Bring Shadowrun to LifeFallout is Great, But…

During an interview with Tom Caswell on his podcast, Obsidian's CEO Feargus Urquhart was asked what non-Fallout Xbox intellectual property he’d like to develop. The studio, known for its work on Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, is currently occupied with projects like Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, but Urquhart has made it clear that Shadowrun is a franchise he’d love to explore.

"I love Shadowrun. I think it’s super cool," Urquhart stated, adding that he requested a list of Microsoft intellectual properties shortly after the company’s acquisition. With the recent addition of Activision and its extensive catalog, the list of potential projects they could work on expanded. Nevertheless, Urquhart focused on one intellectual property in particular. "If you had to pin me down on one, yes, Shadowrun is the one," he stated.

Obsidian Entertainment has established a reputation in the gaming industry by developing compelling sequels within established franchises. While they’ve clearly shown their capacity to create original universes with Alpha Protocol and The Outer Worlds, their history is strongly linked to famous RPG series. From their contributions to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights 2 to Fallout: New Vegas and Dungeon Siege III, Obsidian has repeatedly displayed a knack for expanding existing worlds.

In a 2011 interview with Joystiq, Urquhart provided insights into the studio’s preference for sequels: "RPGs have many sequels because you can keep adding to the world. You can keep developing new stories. I think from that perspective, it’s excellent to be able to make these even if they’re sequels because you get to explore someone else’s world."

How Urquhart and Obsidian plan to expand the Shadowrun universe remains unclear. However, should the studio obtain the license, fans of the RPG can be confident that their cherished world would be in skilled hands. The CEO himself admitted to being a longtime enthusiast of the tabletop RPG: "I bought the book when it first came out. I probably own four of the six editions."

What Happened to Shadowrun?

Shadowrun's history is as complex as the cyberpunk-fantasy world it occupies. Born as a tabletop RPG in 1989, it has since generated numerous video game adaptations. While the tabletop rights underwent multiple ownership shifts following FASA Corporation's closure, the video game rights stayed with Microsoft after its acquisition of FASA Interactive in 1999.

Harebrained Schemes has developed several Shadowrun games recently, but fans keenly await a new, original installment. The last independent Shadowrun game, Shadowrun: Hong Kong, was released in 2015. Remastered editions of previous titles were assembled for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in 2022, but the community's yearning for a novel Shadowrun experience remains.