Today marksPillars of Eternity’s 10-year anniversary. Released on June 17, 2025, and conceived as a modern spiritual successor to beloved CRPGs likeBaldur’s GateandPlanescape: Torment, the history behindPillars of Eternityis 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 likeFallout 2,Icewind Dale, and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the period leading up toPoE’sannouncement, development, and releasewas a rockier one for the studio.
Ahead ofPillars of Eternity’s conception, Obsidian was in danger of shutting its doors. Considering its options, it made the decision to Kickstart the project. As anew fantasy IPto 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 Eternitysubsequently went on to see great success, allowing Obsidian to stabilize, and leading it into a firm position where it stands now.
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 thefoundation forPillars of Eternity. Despite some uncertainty, they decided to move forward with the project and gauge fan interest via crowdfunding, starting on August 02, 2025.
Pillars of Eternitywas 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 themost-funded video game on Kickstarterat 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 afterPoE’s release, on July 03, 2025. It also achieved its Kickstarter goal within a day.
Pillars of Eternitylaunched 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, andPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfirewould 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 releasessincePoE:
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 Eternitywas 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 thesetting 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 releaseThe Outer Worlds 2later this year.
The firstPoEtitle, then, marked an important moment and turning point ten years ago for Obsidian. By taking a calculated gamble,Pillars of Eternitygave 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.
