Dev Profile Q&A: Feargus Urquhart, Obsidian CEO
Feargus Urquhart is the Chief Executive Officer for Obsidian Entertainment and today we have an interview with him where we learn about his job, Obsidian and what his gaming background is.
WarCry Dev Profile Q&A: Neverwinter Nights 2
Answers by Feargus Urquhart (CEO, Obsidian Entertainment)
Questions by Suzie "Kalia" Ford
WarCry: Can you introduce yourself and give readers an idea of your responsibilities at Obsidian and on NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer?
Feargus Urquhart: My name is Feargus Urquhart and I'm the CEO here at Obsidian. My general responsibilities as the CEO are to make sure the company keeps on running, people get paid, getting new projects signed and working with the teams to help them make great games. As for my role on Mask of the Betrayer, I started off as the Producer but am now functioning as the Executive Producer. What that means is that I work with the Producer, Kevin Saunders, to help get him what he needs to not go crazy while finishing everything up.
WarCry: Everyone is pretty acquainted with your development background at Black Isle and in the classic RPGs of the past. But what is your gaming background? Have you always had an interest in gaming?
Feargus Urquhart: Pretty much, although I think I was an electronic gamer, before I was a Pen and Paper gamer. Odd for my generation, but probably less odd now. Other than the normal board games everyone plays as a kid, my friends and I started playing the games that showed up on watches when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I then got an Atari 2600 when they came out and played Intelivision for hours and hours at one of my friend's houses. I then got a Commodore 64 and actually paid for a couple of games that came out. I played Bard's Tale 1 through 3, Ultima 2 through 4, Wasteland, Wizard's Crown, the Phantasy series and a bunch of things on the 64. I also ran a BBS here in Orange County from around 1984 until 1988 that was called Dargaard Keep (most of the time) under my alias of the time Lord Soth.
WarCry: Did you play tabletop RPGs? If so, which ones?
Feargus Urquhart: As for Pen and Paper gaming, I started to get into D&D when I was in 7th grade and played that and a bunch of other RPGs until I graduated high school. My friends and I also played a number of the early Games Workshop games like Talisman and Warrior Knights. We also had a 40K period and another time when we were playing a lot of Shadowrun. Other than those, we dabbled in DC Heroes, Marvel Heroes, Other Suns, Bushido, Villains and Vigilantes, Powers and Perils, Runequest, Twilight 2000 and Lord of the Rings. I didn't date much. :)
WarCry: Are there any fantasy novels that have inspired you as you worked on the various RPGs you have developed?
Feargus Urquhart: I'm a pretty prolific reader of fantasy and sci-fi, so it's hard to pick out a specific series of novels that inspired me. Of the early series that I read when I was young, other than Lord of the Rings (that's too easy), I would say that I enjoyed the Belgariad by David Eddings, Xanth and the Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony, the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster and the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey. More recently, the series that I've enjoyed are the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, the StarFist series by David Sherman and Dan Craig, most everything by William Dietz, the Corean Chronicles by L.E. Modesitt Jr. and the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. I'm currently reading the Lt. Leary series by David Drake and starting up on a series by Steve Erickson called the The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Oh and if that wasn't enough, The Vampire Earth series of books by E.E. Knight is fun to read as well.
WarCry: What computer games have been an inspiration in the past?
Feargus Urquhart: Like the number of books I've read, there have been a ton of computer games that I have played and enjoyed over the years. If I had to core it down to the ones that I think influenced me, I would say they would be Wizardry I, Ultima 4, Bard's Tale 1, Wasteland, Baldur's Gate 2 (even though I was involved in making it, it still influences how I think of games to this day), Fallout (similar to BG2), Masters of Orion, Colonization, Pharoah, Battlefield 1942 and EQ.
WarCry: Do you have time for or any interest in gaming at all during a development cycle? If so, what games do you play?
Feargus Urquhart: I still get a chance to play computer, console and boardgames from time to time. It's tough to make the time to play as many computer and console games as I should, but if all else fails I'll play a game for a couple hours to get a feeling for what it does well. From the standpoint of boardgames, we have a #boardgames mailing list at Obsidian and we try to play a game every Wednesday. I also host a game at my house every couple of months on a Saturday so that we can play longer games. This Saturday we are playing Twilight Imperium.
WarCry: Where did you come up with the name 'Obsidian Entertainment' What's the background of the name?
Feargus Urquhart: I wish there was a good story surrounding it, but Chris Parker, Darren Monahan and I got together one night when we were starting the company and wrote a ton of names on a piece of paper. After eliminating all the really lame ones, we ended up with Scorched Earth, Three Clowns and Obsidian. Three Clowns was really just a joke because while we are clowns there are actually five of us including Chris Avellone and Chris Jones. Not to tangent too much on the answer, but we did have a droid for a while in KotOR2 called 3C-DF, which really stood for three Chris', Darren and Feargus. Anyway, when showing the three choices to our significant others they all let us know that Obsidian was the least lame one of the bunch. So we went with it. Weirdly enough, about three weeks after choosing the name, Chris Jones' brother-in-law was digging in Chris' front yard and found a chunk of Obsidian the size of a softball.
WarCry: What's a typical work day like for you?
Feargus Urquhart: It's pretty much all over the place since I try to split my time between running the company and working on the games themselves. Usually, it means dealing with about 100 to 200 e-mails, talking to the other owners about business and game stuff, doing some work on getting the next game signed by publisher, seeing how our hiring is going, making sure that the office in general is not a pig sty, reading design documents, playing builds of the game, making sure to stay in touch with other game developers, spending a few minutes on our forums, thinking about how to make games better and trying to get home in time to have dinner with my family.
That may all sound pretty hectic and not a whole lot of fun, but actually it is a lot of fun. However, I do have to remember now and again, when I get grumpy, that I get to make games every day and how lucky I am to be able to do that.
WarCry: How involved are you in the day-to-day development of NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer? How involved were you during NWN 2's development?
Feargus Urquhart: Early on in development I was more involved on a daily basis, but we promoted Kevin Saunders to take on the role of Producer on the expansion pack in February, which changed my role. I still check in on a daily basis and talk with the Leads on the team almost every day. I've also reviewed most of the general game design documents and talked with Kevin about what I think works and doesn't work. From here on out, I'm going to be playing the game a lot to find things we should fix and make better.
WarCry: Do you ever get time off? If so, what do you like to do?
Feargus Urquhart: My family usually takes a big vacation every two years. We go to Maui, where my wife and I were married, and usually stay for about ten or twelve days so that we can really decompress. Having said that, the relaxation is different now that we have kids. But, it does mean that I get to spend more time with them. Other than the big vacation, I take a day off here or there or ask my wife for a Saturday to do things for myself. What I end up usually doing on those days is playing through the stack of games that have built up since the last time I had time to play.
WarCry: If you weren't in the room and knowing that you're the big cheese, head honcho, queso grande...What would the other OE guys and gals say about you? Do they have one of "those" stories they could tell about you? If so, what is it? Remember, if you don't spill the beans, we'll dig up someone who will.
Feargus Urquhart: Hmm.... I don't know what sort of stories they would have. It's been a while since I got drunk enough to do something really stupid. As to what they would say about me - I think they would say that I'm a pretty good boss. Not perfect, but not a tyrant either. Of course, I could be mistaken and as long as I continue to chain them to their desks and beat them daily - I'll never know differently. :)
WarCry: Is there anything else you'd like to let readers in on?
Feargus Urquhart: I really should have a stock answer for the "anything else" question. ? I feel like I should get on my soapbox with something really meaningful. So instead of that, I'll take the time to thank WarCry for all the support over the last few years. We've made it a little bumpy at times with NWN2, so we really appreciate the time and energy that you all have put into talking about and supporting the game.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment thread.
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Dev Profile Q&A: Feargus Urquhart, Obsidian CEO
Feargus Urquhart is the Chief Executive Officer for Obsidian Entertainment and today we have an interview with him where we learn about his job, Obsidian and what his gaming background is.
Answers by Feargus Urquhart (CEO, Obsidian Entertainment)
Questions by Suzie "Kalia" Ford
WarCry: Can you introduce yourself and give readers an idea of your responsibilities at Obsidian and on NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer?
Feargus Urquhart: My name is Feargus Urquhart and I'm the CEO here at Obsidian. My general responsibilities as the CEO are to make sure the company keeps on running, people get paid, getting new projects signed and working with the teams to help them make great games. As for my role on Mask of the Betrayer, I started off as the Producer but am now functioning as the Executive Producer. What that means is that I work with the Producer, Kevin Saunders, to help get him what he needs to not go crazy while finishing everything up.
WarCry: Everyone is pretty acquainted with your development background at Black Isle and in the classic RPGs of the past. But what is your gaming background? Have you always had an interest in gaming?
Feargus Urquhart: Pretty much, although I think I was an electronic gamer, before I was a Pen and Paper gamer. Odd for my generation, but probably less odd now. Other than the normal board games everyone plays as a kid, my friends and I started playing the games that showed up on watches when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I then got an Atari 2600 when they came out and played Intelivision for hours and hours at one of my friend's houses. I then got a Commodore 64 and actually paid for a couple of games that came out. I played Bard's Tale 1 through 3, Ultima 2 through 4, Wasteland, Wizard's Crown, the Phantasy series and a bunch of things on the 64. I also ran a BBS here in Orange County from around 1984 until 1988 that was called Dargaard Keep (most of the time) under my alias of the time Lord Soth.
WarCry: Did you play tabletop RPGs? If so, which ones?
Feargus Urquhart: As for Pen and Paper gaming, I started to get into D&D when I was in 7th grade and played that and a bunch of other RPGs until I graduated high school. My friends and I also played a number of the early Games Workshop games like Talisman and Warrior Knights. We also had a 40K period and another time when we were playing a lot of Shadowrun. Other than those, we dabbled in DC Heroes, Marvel Heroes, Other Suns, Bushido, Villains and Vigilantes, Powers and Perils, Runequest, Twilight 2000 and Lord of the Rings. I didn't date much. :)
WarCry: Are there any fantasy novels that have inspired you as you worked on the various RPGs you have developed?
Feargus Urquhart: I'm a pretty prolific reader of fantasy and sci-fi, so it's hard to pick out a specific series of novels that inspired me. Of the early series that I read when I was young, other than Lord of the Rings (that's too easy), I would say that I enjoyed the Belgariad by David Eddings, Xanth and the Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony, the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster and the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey. More recently, the series that I've enjoyed are the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, the StarFist series by David Sherman and Dan Craig, most everything by William Dietz, the Corean Chronicles by L.E. Modesitt Jr. and the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. I'm currently reading the Lt. Leary series by David Drake and starting up on a series by Steve Erickson called the The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Oh and if that wasn't enough, The Vampire Earth series of books by E.E. Knight is fun to read as well.
WarCry: What computer games have been an inspiration in the past?
Feargus Urquhart: Like the number of books I've read, there have been a ton of computer games that I have played and enjoyed over the years. If I had to core it down to the ones that I think influenced me, I would say they would be Wizardry I, Ultima 4, Bard's Tale 1, Wasteland, Baldur's Gate 2 (even though I was involved in making it, it still influences how I think of games to this day), Fallout (similar to BG2), Masters of Orion, Colonization, Pharoah, Battlefield 1942 and EQ.
WarCry: Do you have time for or any interest in gaming at all during a development cycle? If so, what games do you play?
Feargus Urquhart: I still get a chance to play computer, console and boardgames from time to time. It's tough to make the time to play as many computer and console games as I should, but if all else fails I'll play a game for a couple hours to get a feeling for what it does well. From the standpoint of boardgames, we have a #boardgames mailing list at Obsidian and we try to play a game every Wednesday. I also host a game at my house every couple of months on a Saturday so that we can play longer games. This Saturday we are playing Twilight Imperium.
WarCry: Where did you come up with the name 'Obsidian Entertainment' What's the background of the name?
Feargus Urquhart: I wish there was a good story surrounding it, but Chris Parker, Darren Monahan and I got together one night when we were starting the company and wrote a ton of names on a piece of paper. After eliminating all the really lame ones, we ended up with Scorched Earth, Three Clowns and Obsidian. Three Clowns was really just a joke because while we are clowns there are actually five of us including Chris Avellone and Chris Jones. Not to tangent too much on the answer, but we did have a droid for a while in KotOR2 called 3C-DF, which really stood for three Chris', Darren and Feargus. Anyway, when showing the three choices to our significant others they all let us know that Obsidian was the least lame one of the bunch. So we went with it. Weirdly enough, about three weeks after choosing the name, Chris Jones' brother-in-law was digging in Chris' front yard and found a chunk of Obsidian the size of a softball.
WarCry: What's a typical work day like for you?
Feargus Urquhart: It's pretty much all over the place since I try to split my time between running the company and working on the games themselves. Usually, it means dealing with about 100 to 200 e-mails, talking to the other owners about business and game stuff, doing some work on getting the next game signed by publisher, seeing how our hiring is going, making sure that the office in general is not a pig sty, reading design documents, playing builds of the game, making sure to stay in touch with other game developers, spending a few minutes on our forums, thinking about how to make games better and trying to get home in time to have dinner with my family.
That may all sound pretty hectic and not a whole lot of fun, but actually it is a lot of fun. However, I do have to remember now and again, when I get grumpy, that I get to make games every day and how lucky I am to be able to do that.
WarCry: How involved are you in the day-to-day development of NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer? How involved were you during NWN 2's development?
Feargus Urquhart: Early on in development I was more involved on a daily basis, but we promoted Kevin Saunders to take on the role of Producer on the expansion pack in February, which changed my role. I still check in on a daily basis and talk with the Leads on the team almost every day. I've also reviewed most of the general game design documents and talked with Kevin about what I think works and doesn't work. From here on out, I'm going to be playing the game a lot to find things we should fix and make better.
WarCry: Do you ever get time off? If so, what do you like to do?
Feargus Urquhart: My family usually takes a big vacation every two years. We go to Maui, where my wife and I were married, and usually stay for about ten or twelve days so that we can really decompress. Having said that, the relaxation is different now that we have kids. But, it does mean that I get to spend more time with them. Other than the big vacation, I take a day off here or there or ask my wife for a Saturday to do things for myself. What I end up usually doing on those days is playing through the stack of games that have built up since the last time I had time to play.
WarCry: If you weren't in the room and knowing that you're the big cheese, head honcho, queso grande...What would the other OE guys and gals say about you? Do they have one of "those" stories they could tell about you? If so, what is it? Remember, if you don't spill the beans, we'll dig up someone who will.
Feargus Urquhart: Hmm.... I don't know what sort of stories they would have. It's been a while since I got drunk enough to do something really stupid. As to what they would say about me - I think they would say that I'm a pretty good boss. Not perfect, but not a tyrant either. Of course, I could be mistaken and as long as I continue to chain them to their desks and beat them daily - I'll never know differently. :)
WarCry: Is there anything else you'd like to let readers in on?
Feargus Urquhart: I really should have a stock answer for the "anything else" question. ? I feel like I should get on my soapbox with something really meaningful. So instead of that, I'll take the time to thank WarCry for all the support over the last few years. We've made it a little bumpy at times with NWN2, so we really appreciate the time and energy that you all have put into talking about and supporting the game.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment thread.
Permalink