Obsidian Staff Reportedly Fear Losing Autonomy Under Bethesda

Obsidian Entertainment staff are reportedly unhappy about being placed under Bethesda in Xbox’s recent restructuring, according to journalist Chris Dring. The concern, as described in the latest episode of The Game Business show, is that the change could reduce the studio’s autonomy.

Dring discussed developers affected by the restructuring, including Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, Rare and Obsidian Entertainment. The source report quotes him as saying that people at Obsidian “aren’t happy” and had previously had their own autonomy. The report does not identify the staff members or provide further detail about how the new arrangement will work.

Bethesda has publicly said it does not want to interfere with Obsidian, the report says. Whether the studio will retain its autonomy under the new structure remains unsettled. The account describes staff concerns and Bethesda’s public position, but does not establish that Obsidian’s independence or working practices have already changed.

The restructuring also splits studios between Activision and ZeniMax, according to the report’s headline. Dring’s discussion includes several developers affected, but the supplied account gives no further details about how those studios are assigned or what the changes mean for their projects.