
Though Obsidian Entertainment is now known for their shoot-the-moon success with Pillars of Eternity when the studio was at a low point, there was a time when a smart, nostalgic Kickstarter by a known company wasn't the guaranteed smash-hit success everyone assumes it would be now... and that was the era of uncertainty that Pillars of Eternity was pitched in.
In Issue 404 of Edge Magazine, Pillars of Eternity director Josh Sawyer noted that he thought the idea of a successful throwback CRPG was a good one, but couldn't guarantee its success. Though Feargus Urquhart, Obsidian's owner at the time and CEO to this day, was wary of crowdfunding, Sawyer said he "was actually ready to leave [the studio] to do it."