“If we started this series in 2020, 2019, or any point in between, I’m not sure I would have had the fortitude to cover these kinds of topics,” Boyarsky tells Polygon.
One such theme is the early-game questline, during which you encounter a group of refugees displaced by the conflict between the Auntie’s Choice corporation and the Order of the Ascendant, a religious group that worships science. Auntie’s Choice will only support homeless people who want to sell out to the company because no one deserves a free lunch. Meanwhile, the Order believes that it is enough to meet their basic needs and teach them how to rise, not to mention the spreading disease in the refugee camp or the lack of future prospects and living space.
It’s straightforward to see the parallels to contemporary issues and the political philosophies that spawned them in this case and many others in the game. Heck, a government that regularly brainwashes its citizens into ensuring their continued loyalty is the focus of the story. Boyarsky says these real-life parallels aren’t intentional, but they are inevitable.
“When you’re dealing with any story that’s based on trying to reflect what humanity is like and really thinking about human motivations and what happens when a certain type of people comes to power, we’re going to be really close to the things that are happening at any given moment,” Boyarsky says.
Powerful people exploiting others is a recurring theme at Obsidian, dating back to when Boyarsky and Outer Worlds consultant Tim Cain were part of Interplay and Black Isle, the studios behind the first two Fallout games. After the closure of Black Isle, Boyarsky, Cain and another Interplay colleague formed the Troika, where these themes continued in Arcanum: About Steamworks and Magick Obscura AND Vampire: Masquerade – Bloodlines. Bloodlines it’s about power struggles between individuals and groups, and Boyarsky even claims it Secret“Fantastic Racism” was based on the imbalance of power caused by who was excluded from access to technology and magic. Then there’s Obsidian Notoriouswhich was published in February and whose main conflict concerns an imperialist nation exploiting its “backward” colonies.
Telling these kinds of stories is what Boyarsky and his team have and will continue to do. However, he says Obsidian could have “gone a little lighter, found a little less of a rabbit hole to go down.” Outer Worlds and its continuation if they started the series after 2016.
It’s true that even if Obsidian tried to write a less current and less topical story, there’s a good chance it would still be just as relevant. Boyarsky says the band has an uncanny knack for meeting deadlines without rehearsing, and what they think is absurd and impossible turns out to be closer to the truth than they ever intended.
“I thought, damn it, we need to make a game about rainbows and unicorns to make everything happy and maybe the world will catch up.”
