RPG Codex Interview: Chris Avellone on Pillars Cut Content, Game Development Hierarchies and More

[Sentinel]

Does MCA hold any grudge/bad feelings against Sawyer? This is the only missing bit in my canvas.

 

[Prime Junta]

The unusual thing here is that most CEOs know not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. The great flaw of Feargus is not that he's a scumbag (which goes with the CEO territory), it's that he's a moron.

All CEOs are trapped in an evil system, but not all CEOs are evil. It is possible to do your best to run your company ethically, only being evil to the extent it's necessary. It's a continuous struggle but it can be done. This is way beyond that.

(Moronic too, of course, but unnecessary evil usually is.)

 

[Blaine]

needs to be committed into involuntary psychiatric care, stat.

I don't even try to be taken seriously here at the Codex—but if I did, I definitely wouldn't post goofy histrionics like this.

 

[80Maxwell08]

To anyone spreading this drama around, I would like links to read the entertainment please. Thank you.

 

[Prime Junta]

needs to be committed into involuntary psychiatric care, stat.

I don't even try to be taken seriously here at the Codex—but if I did, I definitely wouldn't post goofy histrionics like this.

You really want me to tag your posts don't you?

 

[Iskramor]

This is the sort of statement that could sink companies.

Nah, they'll keep on polishing Obsidian's knob regardless.

If you think Paradox will not consider legal action after his statements you are less realistic than you look. You also need to think about the loss of godwill with game journalists, developers, their public image, etc.

No one reads the codex atleast no one important.

 

[Azarkon]

Does MCA hold any grudge/bad feelings against Sawyer? This is the only missing bit in my canvas.

Sawyer may have supported Feargus, that's all I can guess from Chris's past comments. I don't think Sawyer is personally responsible, but he may have been positioned to replace Chris, that's my feeling.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

That was already said here, but I also think that this shit wouldn't have happened if Chris had hired a lawyer to examine the draft of Obsi's charter, and then later, to represent him in this shit. This is what nice people get for "but we are all friends here" mentality. Even here in Russia such blatant violation of Labour and Civil Code won't stand in court.

I also wonder what will Obsi do. The most logical evil approach would've been libel. The most damning libel right now is harassment and rape charges. It's basically unrebuffable in USA's political climate. I wonder if they'll try and manufacture some harassment (or worse) claim by some employee as the reason for termination.

 

[Sentinel]

To anyone spreading this drama around, I would like links to read the entertainment please. Thank you.

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/97103-chris-avellone-the-final-frontier/

 

[Blaine]

You really want me to tag your posts don't you?

Well, someone clearly has to teach me a lesson, so it might as well be you.

If negative ratings fail, I recommend comparing me to mugshots of popular American cable television characters. That'll show me.

 

[Fry]

Well sure, but then let´s hold them accountable after we have some evidence, prefereably after it’s been sorted out in court if perjury and/or harassment happened. While I tend to believe CA, I’d still at least wait for the response from Obsidian, because at the moment we don’t have the full picture.

Don't hold you breath. Obsidian can't and won't respond here, and I think Chris knows that.

Also you fucking liberal bothsiderists, apply basic source criticism here.

What does MCA have to gain from spilling this?

What does he have to lose?

If you think about it for a moment, the only thing on the gain side is eventual peace of mind once he's through the shitstorm, whereas on the loss side is a massive pain the ass... and this if he's telling the God's own truth with every word. And if he's not telling the truth, he is going to be utterly fucked for the rest of his life: hammering nails into his kneecaps would hurt less and cost less.

Therefore, the only plausible interpretations are either that (1) the material facts he's stating are true, -- OR -- (2) he's completely lost his marbles and needs to be committed into involuntary psychiatric care, stat. And I think we can also fairly safely discount (2) as that kind of shit doesn't happen overnight, and he hasn't shown any indications of failing sanity up to this point.

And the material facts he has stated are really incredibly fucking damning. Losing his stake in the company, "upper management" leveraging his economic and family situation to pressure him into signing a balls-to-the-wall evil NDA/non-competition agreement and then cutting his health insurance. That is so vicious words fail me.

Maybe you're not all that familiar with health insurance in the US, but when you're no longer an employee the insurance is gone. You can extend it with programs like COBRA until you find another job or get your own insurance, but Obsidian didn't do anything unusual there. They just terminated his employment as agreed.

I certainly won't speculate on Avellone's deeper motivations, but he's straight-out saying he doesn't want Obs management to see dime one of profit again. That seems like a pretty clear agenda to me.

The only real "fact" we're getting here is that that the facts of the circumstances of his termination are coming from a single source.

 

[Quillon]

Does MCA hold any grudge/bad feelings against Sawyer? This is the only missing bit in my canvas.

I think there is competitive tension(if its a thing) at the least. MCA has been very reluctant to refer his name, ignoring his existence when asked about Deadfire etc. while Josh gives credit to him whenever it comes up. But they don't speak to each other since the departure it seems.(Which could have been caused by what Efens said to MCA after the departure :D)

 

[Prime Junta]

You really want me to tag your posts don't you?

Well, someone clearly has to teach me a lesson, so it might as well be you.

If negative ratings fail, I recommend comparing me to mugshots of popular American cable television characters. That'll show me.

I don't watch popular American cable television so I'd be awfully out of my depth. I searched for that and this one came up, would it work?

Spoiler

Bocian sir yes sir

 

[AwesomeButton]

To anyone spreading this drama around, I would like links to read the entertainment please. Thank you.

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/97103-chris-avellone-the-final-frontier/

Lol, Infinitron... the Dungeon Keeper line "Your creatures like your style..." comes to mind

 

[Azarkon]

Infinitron, you know you can immediately blow this up by posting it as Codex news...

Not many people will necessarily dive that deep into the comments to find Chris's post. But many people follow the Codex's news posts.

 

[Bocian]

I searched for that and this one came up, would it work?

put it in a spoiler ffs
Reported.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Infinitron, you know you can immediately blow this up by posting it as Codex news...

Not many people will necessarily dive that deep into the comments to find Chris's post. But many people follow the Codex's news posts.

But it is in the news!

 

[Prime Junta]

From the CA’s description it seems like Obsidian consulted their lawyers more often than him, so they might have lead the negotiations in such a way that it was still legal and defendable in court.

I don't give a shit if it's legal or not. It's vicious and unethical.

 

[Starwars]

Infinitron, you know you can immediately blow this up by posting it as Codex news...

Not many people will necessarily dive that deep into the comments to find Chris's post. But many people follow the Codex's news posts.

But it is in the news!

It's time for the Codex to embrace being a click-baity gossip rag.

"10 shocking reasons why Chris Avellone left Obsidian!

... or did he get fired?!"

 

[Azarkon]

Infinitron, you know you can immediately blow this up by posting it as Codex news...

Not many people will necessarily dive that deep into the comments to find Chris's post. But many people follow the Codex's news posts.

But it is in the news!

The news article is like this:



The post is like this:

 

[Projas]

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

Sawyer may have supported Feargus, that's all I can guess from Chris's past comments. I don't think Sawyer is personally responsible, but he may have been positioned to replace Chris, that's my feeling.

 

[Azarkon]

Sawyer may have supported Feargus, that's all I can guess from Chris's past comments. I don't think Sawyer is personally responsible, but he may have been positioned to replace Chris, that's my feeling.

Care to give your opinion? How would Sawyer have been responsible for what the upper management did to Chris?

 

[ga♥]

Care to give your opinion? How would Sawyer have been responsible for what the upper management did to Chris?

You don't have much real life work experience I guess.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

To anyone spreading this drama around, I would like links to read the entertainment please. Thank you.

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/97103-chris-avellone-the-final-frontier/

https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39602