Are there any news of a sequel or rights for one?

[Flame13223]

Tyranny is one of my favorite games of all time, I really want it to get a sequel, and with Bloodlines 2 being announced, something I thought would never happen in my life, it gives me a bit of hope that perhaps this game won't be forgotten completely. But I am a bit worried about the rights for a sequel, since Obsidian has had a whole mess with all sorts of publishers for pretty much every game they made in the past 5 years and now they're under Microsoft, I doubt MS would give a damn about a game like Tyranny.

So I wonder what remains of the rights? Would Paradox have to acquire the rights from Obsidian or do they already have it?

 

[Oerwinde]

Pretty sure Paradox has the rights to Tyranny, but my understanding is it didn't do well commercially, which is a shame, because it was really good. I would bet if Obsidian still had the rights Microsoft would be ok greenlighting a sequel to beef up their PC gamepass library since I don't think games like Pillars and Tyranny are too expensive to produce.

 

[Epicmarkvan]

Pretty sure Paradox has the rights to Tyranny, but my understanding is it didn't do well commercially, which is a shame, because it was really good. I would bet if Obsidian still had the rights Microsoft would be ok greenlighting a sequel to beef up their PC gamepass library since I don't think games like Pillars and Tyranny are too expensive to produce.

And especially since PoE2 came out a year or so ago, be nice to use that slightly upgraded engine for another CRPG. Long as they keep the magic system from the original.

 

[Flame13223]

And especially since PoE2 came out a year or so ago, be nice to use that slightly upgraded engine for another CRPG. Long as they keep the magic system from the original.

The magic system is one of the best I've ever seen in any RPG, I soooo want it to be used for something else...

But also the way you build characters, it's so flexible. I made Lantry into a heavy armor wearing shield+warhammer using paladin, I made Sirin into a 2 handed storm-sword wielding badass. The character building system is just...flexible. And cool.

 

[Epicmarkvan]

The magic system is one of the best I've ever seen in any RPG, I soooo want it to be used for something else...

But also the way you build characters, it's so flexible. I made Lantry into a heavy armor wearing shield+warhammer using paladin, I made Sirin into a 2 handed storm-sword wielding badass. The character building system is just...flexible. And cool.

Easily one of the most intuitive class designs in a CRPG, man. I'll actually be the saddest person ever if it's not continued. I would personally donate so much money to a Fig/Kickstarter if they were to do one.

 

[Flame13223]

Easily one of the most intuitive class designs in a CRPG, man. I'll actually be the saddest person ever if it's not continued. I would personally donate so much money to a Fig/Kickstarter if they were to do one.

Yeah, honestly why the heck is there not a kickstarter for Tyranny 2 already? Take my money Paradox!

But even if they can't do a Tyranny 2 bc of rights issues, just use the magic and character system for another project then...and maybe also the Conquest phase at the start too. That was such a nice way to increase replayability and get you into the feels and theme of the game. Plus seeing those decisions brought up in-game were some of my best nerd-joy moments. Being called Peacebinder by the Tiersmen was just the best <3

 

[daisha]

I'd rather rip out my eyeballs and smash them with a hammer than donate to a kickstarter for a major publisher/studio's project, but I can't quite wrap my head around how Pillars got a sequel and Tyranny hasn't.

 

[Flame13223]

I'd rather rip out my eyeballs and smash them with a hammer than donate to a kickstarter for a major publisher/studio's project, but I can't quite wrap my head around how Pillars got a sequel and Tyranny hasn't.

Normally I wouldn't either but Tyranny isn't really a gigantic project for either Paradox or whatever studio they'd outsource it to. I doubt they'd put a lot of money into it given the rather mediocre amount it made commerciall at the time it released. Normally I am against pre-ordering stuff but in this case I'd say the kickstarter is basically just a pre-order except it actually is useful to the dev team and not just the execs...It's also just a project that I like enough to essentially take a gamble on it...

 

[daisha]

Crowdfunding isn't generally a viable last resort for a project that is expected to be a commercial failure. If people won't buy the ready-to-play game in sufficient numbers, how can you expect them to buy the promise of a game in 2-5 years, maybe? If you were hoping to prop up the crowdfund yourself with your private fortune (I understand venture capitalists are having trouble finding projects to invest in these days, maybe that's you?) maybe you could get in touch with the management and explain that you want a sequel so bad you're ready to drop 2 million on it tomorrow.

All that said, I feel like they absolutely screwed the marketing up on this, which is 100% a paradox problem. They highlighted "it's the grimdarkest grimdark that ever grimdarked: it's exceptionally grim and outrageously dark!" and no one cared (I sure didn't - I bought it on sale years late because I was up past bedtime and randomly read about the actually-compelling aspects of the game.) If every ad were just an explanation of the spell sigil system I think it would have outsold PoE (which I only played briefly on a friend's system, and it wasn't BAD, but I didn't need to buy my own copy to keep playing it or anything.) But even though people associated with Paradox have publicly admitted it was a marketing failure more than anything else, trying to convince them that an alternative marketing approach would actually do better is a hard sell. At a minimum if we got an in-universe "sequel" it would probably not be called Tyranny II, they'd want to do as much as they can to salvage the system and lore while distancing themselves from the marketing stink of the original.

 

[Flame13223]

Crowdfunding isn't generally a viable last resort for a project that is expected to be a commercial failure. If people won't buy the ready-to-play game in sufficient numbers, how can you expect them to buy the promise of a game in 2-5 years, maybe? If you were hoping to prop up the crowdfund yourself with your private fortune (I understand venture capitalists are having trouble finding projects to invest in these days, maybe that's you?) maybe you could get in touch with the management and explain that you want a sequel so bad you're ready to drop 2 million on it tomorrow.

All that said, I feel like they absolutely screwed the marketing up on this, which is 100% a paradox problem. They highlighted "it's the grimdarkest grimdark that ever grimdarked: it's exceptionally grim and outrageously dark!" and no one cared (I sure didn't - I bought it on sale years late because I was up past bedtime and randomly read about the actually-compelling aspects of the game.) If every ad were just an explanation of the spell sigil system I think it would have outsold PoE (which I only played briefly on a friend's system, and it wasn't BAD, but I didn't need to buy my own copy to keep playing it or anything.) But even though people associated with Paradox have publicly admitted it was a marketing failure more than anything else, trying to convince them that an alternative marketing approach would actually do better is a hard sell. At a minimum if we got an in-universe "sequel" it would probably not be called Tyranny II, they'd want to do as much as they can to salvage the system and lore while distancing themselves from the marketing stink of the original.

I've heard that the game was poorly marketed before and it somewhat flopped in terms of revenue. Personally I bought the game after seeing footage from a youtuber, I haven't really seen any of the marketing at all...which probs means the marketing was not great, but thank fuck for youtubers and streamers. Free publicity. I bought pretty much everything there is to buy for Tyranny, even bought 2 different Tyranny shirts...

But in regards to the crowdfunding thing. It's not really for the funding part that they need, it's more just to show if there's interest in the project or not. If there's a bunch of people backing then Paradox can see there's a demand and therefore put some extra money into it. If the crowdfunding isn't very successful they can just create something appropriately sized and put it out and it's not that big of a deal.

But it's all just dreams for now, I'd obviously prefer if they didn't resort to kickstarter but if they did I'd be fine with it...just gimme Tyranny 2 I don't really care how as long as I can play with that amazing friggin system again. Whether it's a 10 hour game made with a middling kickstarter or a full on 100 hour heavily funded title with multiple expansions, I just want something, I don't really mind how. Anything is better than nothing...

Besides, I am sure it would be a hell of a lot more successful this time around. Can't make the same mistake twice, can they?

 

[Krozam]

I'd love a sequel, many of the game systems were really great, but... honestly, I'm more interested in the lore and the story. It doesn't need to be a game, I'd be fine if the story was continue in, say, novel form. I know they've flashed the idea of possibly returning to the Tyranny world in a strategy game or something, but for me, that wouldn't be ideal, as it'd surely be light on story and plot enements, which are by far the best part (though world lore is still possible to incorporate into such a game).

 

[daisha]

Besides, I am sure it would be a hell of a lot more successful this time around. Can't make the same mistake twice, can they?

I can recall exactly two sequels that did better than the original: The Goonies II on the NES, and Evil Dead 2.

 

[Flame13223]

I can recall exactly two sequels that did better than the original: The Goonies II on the NES, and Evil Dead 2.

I am fairly sure tons of sequels (of both games and movies) often do better than the initial...I mean just look at the amount of money Witcher 3 made compared to the first ones...or the X million Fast&Furious sequels, which randomly do either better or worse than the previous ones...

But if you want a strict 1 to 2 jump, I am fairly sure Starcraft 2 did incredibly well. And you yourself played Crusader kings 2, did that not do better than Crusader kings 1?

 

[daisha]

Fair enough re: CK2. I don't see how Starcraft 2 could have done better than 1, though. Everyone I know bought Starcraft 1 at least 3 times.

 

[Flame13223]

Fair enough re: CK2. I don't see how Starcraft 2 could have done better than 1, though. Everyone I know bought Starcraft 1 at least 3 times.

Well both are still going I guess. But SC2 did hella good and they kept updating it even to this day it still receives constant patches.

 

[Blood Nugget]

Exactly what I came here for (and Bloodlines)

I had thought the Paradox CEO (Fredrick?) said he would love to do an RTS version of Tyranny, which might be more to Paradox's speed than an RPG