Obsidian Entertainment’s Brandon Adler and Matt Singh are tapping into the wider Xbox family to help refine The Outer Worlds 2 and future projects. From leveraging Ninja Theory’s motion capture expertise to sharing creative insights with Double Fine, Obsidian is making the most of cross-studio collaboration under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella.
Xbox Studios Learning From Each Other
With a surge of first-party Xbox games rolling out this month, The Outer Worlds 2 is one of the highlights from Obsidian. Ahead of its release, the game’s directors spoke with Luke Lohr on the Xbox Expansion Pass podcast about how collaboration across Xbox studios is shaping their process—not only for this game but for projects yet to come.
“Matt just recently reached out to Ninja Theory, because we’re very curious about their mocap and [performance capture], how their entire process works,” Adler explained. “They were really great with us. We were able to get lots of information about the process they go through when doing conversations or cinematics, and what kind of things we can incorporate into future games.”
Matt Singh added that open communication and knowledge sharing are a key advantage of being part of the Xbox first-party network. “It’s definitely one of the benefits of being in that Xbox umbrella now. We’re encouraged to reach out to different studios and talk to them.”
That collaboration isn’t one-sided. Singh emphasized that Obsidian is equally encouraged to contribute feedback back to others. “Brandon and I went to talk with [Double Fine Productions CEO] Tim Schafer to offer any kind of feedback on what they were working on,” Singh said. “And because we were in Japan recently, we also got the chance to talk a little with Kojima Productions.”
Adler also confirmed that Obsidian reached out to Halo’s studio (formerly 343 Industries) for advice on improving The Outer Worlds 2’s gunplay. These kinds of exchanges, he noted, allow developers to refine elements of their design that might otherwise go unnoticed from the inside.
Such collaboration highlights the spirit of creative community that Xbox Game Studios promotes—where each team’s strengths can elevate another’s work.
A Banner Year for Obsidian Entertainment
2025 has been a standout year for Obsidian. The studio kicked things off with the launch of Avowed, the highly anticipated fantasy RPG set in the world of Pillars of Eternity. In July, Grounded 2 entered early access just weeks after its reveal, maintaining the momentum.
Now, The Outer Worlds 2 is set to complete what’s been an impressive trifecta for Obsidian. With three launches in a single year, the studio has demonstrated remarkable range—from grounded survival experiences to expansive RPG storytelling.
Looking ahead, 2026 may bring a quieter period for Obsidian as its teams regroup, but it’s clear that cross-studio collaboration will continue to influence whatever comes next.
Release Details
The Outer Worlds 2 launches October 29, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC via Battle.net, Steam, and Xbox on PC. Premium Edition players can jump in early on October 24. As with all Xbox first-party titles, The Outer Worlds 2 will be available day one through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
