Obsidian’s upcoming game, Grounded 2, takes the concept of tiny adventurers to a whole new level-literally. One of the standout new features is the ability to mount bugs and ride them like horses, something fans have been requesting for a while.
But this feature isn’t just a fun addition; it’s one of the main reasons Obsidian is even making a sequel.
According to Obsidian’s executive producer, Marcus Morgan, Grounded 1, despite its charm, couldn’t handle the type of expansion the team wanted to implement. “Grounded 1 was initially developed for the original Xbox One, and by the time we finished it, we were running out of space. Adding more content would have been impossible without compromising the game’s immersive feel,” Morgan explains. “We wanted to make the game bigger and better, and that’s what led us to Unreal Engine 5.”
Obsidian had already wrapped up the story in Grounded 1 with a clear beginning, middle, and end, so it was time to start fresh with a new narrative. However, one of the biggest challenges they faced was incorporating bug mounts. “We had prototypes for creatures that could be mounted, but the level design in Grounded 1 wasn’t set up to accommodate that kind of gameplay,” says Morgan. “We needed a whole new space to make it work. That’s why the sequel is so much larger.”
In addition to Obsidian, Eidos Montreal, the developer behind Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, is co-developing the game. Morgan praises the collaboration, calling it “co-development in the truest sense.” The partnership came about after Obsidian reached out to Xbox’s central team for assistance, and the suggestion to work with Eidos came from Xbox’s second-party partnerships group. Eidos was a perfect fit, particularly since they had a passionate fanbase for Grounded. The team even contributed to refining the game’s story and antagonists, making the collaboration even more effective.
Fans of the first game will be pleased to know that Grounded 2 will launch in early access on Xbox and PC, but there’s no word yet on a PlayStation or Switch version. “It’s great that Grounded 1 made it to multiple platforms, but we’re focusing on Xbox and PC for now,” Morgan says. “At the end of the day, we want to reach as many players as possible, so we’ll see where things go in the future.”
As for the future of Grounded 2, Morgan suggests it will follow a similar model to the first game: a couple of years in early access before a full 1.0 release. While Obsidian isn’t putting any hard restrictions on the game’s post-launch content, they are committed to listening to community feedback and making adjustments accordingly. “We want to make Grounded 2 as expandable as possible, and the content roadmap will depend on player feedback and tech capabilities,” Morgan concludes.