Obsidian Entertainment Talks About Alpha Protocol, Reception And Potential Sequel

Seven years ago, Obsidian Entertainment worked alongside Sega to produce a unique action game called Alpha Protocol. The game launched to average reviews, and didn’t quite sell as well as either company was hoping, but it became a cult classic to a select few, leaving Obsidian somewhat proud of its legacy, despite its reception. We spoke about the game in the past, and that’s where we first found out there was interest in bringing the series back.

The company recently spoke with Eurogamer about all things Alpha, including the game’s initial reception and the possibility of returning for a sequel.

Lead level designer Tyson Christensen explained, “The direction we were going wasn’t something everyone was completely happy with, so changing that around…it really revitalized a lot of the team.”

That said, the end product didn’t quite everyone over, and game director Chris Parker explained how the feeling was less than expected. “We always talk about how we think a game is going to rate before it launches. We all expected to land around 80. We knew it had some issues, we understood all of that, but we thought if people could just get over those things the content would pull through.

“When it launched and it did significantly worse… it was pretty disheartening.”

That said, the team was pleased with the ideas that it put into play, even if more traditional ideas had to go outside the window to make the game work. It definitely clicked with a few, even if the team was reaching more for the masses.

That said, Obsidian hasn’t given up on the franchise. After all these years of circulation, the developer has actually gone all out and written up a detailed 35-page pitch for a sequel, one that will “fundamentally” revisit gameplay in a whole new way, while keeping some of the systems that a lot of the players loved. But whether that sequel gets made really depends on one party – Sega. The publisher hasn’t expressed any interest in the project, so Obsidian is pretty much waiting until it gets to that point…if it gets to that point.

If you somehow missed out on Alpha Protocol, you should be able to find a used copy fairly cheap for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and can also buy it on PC. We definitely suggest checking it out!