I know this has been discussed below, but I figure the only way for it to actually happen is for a slavering horde of gamers to wave dollars in the air. Virtually of course :) So, a petition for you all to sign!
Remember the great rpg games of the past like Icewind Dale, Planescape and Baldurs Gate? How cool would it be to bring those golden RPG days back with a Pathfinder video game?
This petition is an attempt to see how many gamers want a computer/ console rpg that:
* Uses the Pathfinder ruleset created by Paizo
* Is set in Golarion / Inner Sea region
* Has a compelling story penned by Paizo with the great quality they are known for
If you'd buy something like that, clickity and sign!.
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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I'm all for this, and just signed, but Paizo has mentioned in the past that they'd be happy to let someone else if they're a reputable computer game company that would do a good job. You'll want to get this petition to the game companies that might do a project like this, and then get them to approach Paizo.
Do we know any quality companies looking for a project?
Ug... be careful when you say "bring those golden RPG days back." I believe Bioware gave that a shot with Dragon Age and I'd rather not see another game in that style thank you kindly. They couldn't even get a 'home base' storage area implemented. (Yes I have many personal level nitpicks about Dragon Age)
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Do we know any quality companies looking for a project?
Ug... be careful when you say "bring those golden RPG days back." I believe Bioware gave that a shot with Dragon Age and I'd rather not see another game in that style thank you kindly. They couldn't even get a 'home base' storage area implemented. (Yes I have many personal level nitpicks about Dragon Age)
While I think Dragon Age is one of the better modern RPGs, I don't think it's a return to the golden RPG days by a long shot. The most recent CRPG that I really liked was Temple of Elemental Evil, though I hope to try the indy game Knights of the Challice soon, which is a true return to old school game. It's somewhat limited by only having 3 classes, but the sequel being worked on looks to expand that significantly.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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As for quality companies looking for a project, I personally don't think that will happen with Pathfinder. The established companies either want to use their own IP and not be tied to the issues of using someone elses, or want a much bigger name than Pathfinder is. I think the best case would be a smaller and upcomming company that would like a chance to start out with a built in fan base. Unfortunately, finding the good ones in that category is the trick. Also, it's a lot harder for a new, upcomming company to find funding now than it was a few years back due to the general economic conditions. If Paizo was willing and able to fund, that would be great, but I'm guessing that they don't want to take that kind of financial risk.
The established companies either want to use their own IP and not be tied to the issues of using someone elses, or want a much bigger name than Pathfinder is. [...] Also, it's a lot harder for a new, upcomming company to find funding now than it was a few years back due to the general economic conditions. If Paizo was willing and able to fund, that would be great, but I'm guessing that they don't want to take that kind of financial risk.
This. Gamers' wallets and game developers' capital are already pretty strained these days, and there's a lot of competition for what's available. And we're talking about the narrow Venn sliver of video gamers who like/play/buy Pathfinder and Pathfinder players who like/play/buy video games.
Add to that the fact that those "golden age RPGs" were mostly 2D and/or turn-based - two categories that Western game publishers on PC & console seem to be avoiding like the plague. Ironically, "old-school" RPGs are showing good results on handhelds and mobile phones in the States and worldwide, but since you can't get the same level of market-attention-grabbing eye-candy on a portable, most of the big names in Western RPG publishing aren't developing for it. (Unless you count localizations from Japan & ports of old DOS/Win games.)
Honestly I'd love a game that just featured Golarion and Paizo's sweet art design, but I don't see it happening outside of the indie market (not that that's necessarily a bad thing). For comparison, D&D has big-market developers for their licensed games, and plenty of marketing muscle, but those games still struggle to make a profit after big-market development costs. Maybe keeping it small & focused would be the best bet here.