Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind the hit RPGs Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, is reportedly working on a new murder-mystery RPG codenamed Project Missouri. This information comes from the latest episode of GrubbSnax, where the beans were spilled by Josh Sawyer, a 16-year veteran of Obsidian Entertainment.
Sawyer has worked in many roles for numerous Obsidian titles, with his most impactful work coming when he functioned as a director and lead designer on Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity. According to this news, Sawyer has been working with a small batch of employees on a murder-mystery RPG that is slated to release somewhere in 2022.
The game is going to have no combat, with players having the ability to confirm their suspicious and blame other people during the title. It's possible for the player to accuse the wrong person and witness the consequences of the same firsthand. Given the nature of its setting, it's fitting that this game is set in Europe during the 16th-century Renaissance. However, unlike Pillars of Eternity and other isometric Obsidian titles, Project Missouri will be a first or third-person title. This decision could be based on the fact that the studio is burnt out from working on isometric titles or simply feels that a more accessible perspective will get more people interested in this ambitious project.
The most exciting thing about Project Missouri is that it will feature a ton of experimental mechanics and organic interactions, which can either be the game's biggest draw or its worst shortcoming, depending on how things pan out. Obsidian Entertainment's titles feature strong narratives and engaging characters — something that should ideally combine seamlessly with the mechanics involved in a murder-mystery title that places an emphasis on investigations, witness testimonies, interrogations, and deductions.
It's the RPG half of Project Missouri that seems more experimental, and it'll be fascinating to witness how Sawyer and his team manage to combine these mechanics with the hallmarks of a murder-mystery game. Parallels can be drawn between this project and Disco Elysium, the critically-acclaimed ZA/UM title that managed to combine the facets of investigative gameplay and RPG elements to great effect. It's a possibility that Disco Elysium could be a source of inspiration for Project Missouri, but no concrete statements can be provided without more information surrounding this mysterious and exciting title.
Source: GrubbSnax Episode 18