Update — 05/19/21: A spokesperson from Private Division, the American publisher owned by Take-Two, has explained the company won’t be involved with “future iterations” of The Outer Worlds franchise, noting that Obsidian and owner Microsoft will be steering the ship moving forward.
Microsoft has been looking to expand its stable of first-party titles for some time, having spent huge sums of cash on a variety of studios over the past few years, such as its recent $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda.
Although the company purchased Obsidian back in 2018, The Outer Worlds developer worked with Take-Two’s subsidiary Private Division to publish the game. Recent remarks from Take-Two president Karl Slatoff had indicated that relationship would continue, but an update from Private Division has confirmed that Microsoft now intends to take charge of the franchise.
“Private Division is still supporting and marketing The Outer Worlds, including the upcoming release of Murder on Eridanos DLC on Nintendo Switch,” said the company. “Moving forward, Obsidian and Microsoft will be publishing future iterations in the franchise, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see where they take it.”
Original story: The Outer Worlds publisher Take-Two Interactive has suggested Obsidian’s action-RPG performed better than expected, and said it will be throwing its weight behind the franchise moving forward.
During an earnings call (via Seeking Alpha), the company revealed The Outer Worlds has sold 3 million units since launching in October 2019, and noted the two DLC packs released by Obsidian have been “really very well received.”
Take-Two president Karl Slatoff explained that success was something the company wasn’t necessarily anticipating, and said the title is now being viewed as a “long-term franchise.”
“Obviously we’re incredibly pleased with Outer Worlds and everything that it’s brought. It was — I can’t say that it was a complete surprise out of the gate, but it was certainly was something pleasant for us and a little bit unexpected,” said Slatoff.
“We will be participating in the franchise and whatever the future holds for that franchise. So we feel really good about it. And we think that it’s still building audience and this game itself has a lot of life left in it. And in the future — we’ll see what the future holds for it. But we do think it’s a long-term franchise and it is certainly something that we’re pleased with the results.”
Take-Two recently reported its financial for the full-year ended March 31, 2021, and revealed 87 percent of its annual net revenue was pulled from digital sources.