CRPGs in the classic style are pretty common these days, from massive revivals of beloved series like Baldur's Gate 3 to throwbacks from storied developers like Pillars of Eternity and even fully indie projects like SKALD: Against the Black Priory. But once upon a time, the genre seemed all but dead – thanks in part to retailers who believed nobody wanted to buy them.
That's according to Josh Sawyer, delivering a keynote address at the GCAP 2025 conference (as transcribed by our friends at PC Gamer). Sawyer is now studio design director at Obsidian, and these days is probably best known as lead designer on Fallout: New Vegas, but his early credits include beloved CRPG classics like Icewind Dale.
