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{{Short description|American video game designer}}
{{Lead too short|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
|name = Joshua Eric Sawyer | name = Josh Sawyer
|image = |image = J.E. Sawyer.jpg | image = Josh Sawyer removing spokes from a bicycle wheel.jpg
|alt = | alt =
|caption = Josh Sawyer presenting '']'' | caption =
| birth_name = Joshua Eric Sawyer
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|10|18}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|10|18}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.giantbomb.com/je-sawyer/3040-25518/|title=J.E. Sawyer|website=GiantBomb|access-date=February 19, 2016}}</ref>
|birth_place =
| birth_place = ]
|death_date =
| death_date =
|death_place =
| death_place =
|nationality =
| nationality = American
|other_names =
|known_for = | other_names =
| parents = Gerald P. Sawyer (father)
|occupation = ]
| employer = ]
| known_for = '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''
| alma_mater = ]
| occupation = ]
}} }}


'''Joshua Eric Sawyer''' (also known as '''J.E. Sawyer''' and '''Brian "Vince" Mitsoda''') is a ] active in the ]. '''Joshua Eric Sawyer''' (born October 18, 1975), more commonly known and credited as '''Josh Sawyer''', '''J.E. Sawyer''', or '''JSawyer''', is an American ], known for his work on ].


==Early life and education== ==Early life and education==
Josh Sawyer grew up in ], ], the son of Linda Sawyer and sculptor Gerald P. Sawyer<ref>''Daily Jefferson County Union''. January 14th, 2011. Liedtke, Carolyn. "Sawyer sculpts success throughout Wisconsin". p. 3.</ref>. He earned a ] from ] in ]. In addition to being a history major, Sawyer participated in the theatre (including mounting a production of '']''). After Lawrence, Sawyer moved to ]. Sawyer grew up in ], and is the son of Linda Sawyer and sculptor Gerald P. Sawyer.<ref>''Daily Jefferson County Union''. January 14th, 2011. Liedtke, Carolyn. "Sawyer sculpts success throughout Wisconsin". p. 3.</ref> He is of German ancestry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/358874015017758829 |title=J.E. Sawyer |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412185719/http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/358874015017758829 |archive-date=2013-04-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Sawyer majored in history at ] in ], after initially starting out as a voice student. Sawyer continued his involvement in theater and music, including directing a production of '']'' his junior year,<ref name=assassins_tweet>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/jesawyer/status/1627421946395721729|title=@jesawyer tweet, 2023-02-19}}</ref> and minored in theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/jesawyer/status/1678813770544742400 |title=@jesawyer tweet, 2023-07-11}}</ref> He also began learning web design and ], which sparked his interest in joining the game industry out of college.<ref name=lawrence_alumni_jesawyer>{{cite web| url=https://www.lawrence.edu/articles/lawrence-expertise-helps-fuel-pentiment-video-game|title=Lawrence expertise fuels historical role-playing game that's drawing rave reviews|date=January 18, 2023|first=Ed|last=Berthiaume|publisher=Lawrence University News Service}}</ref>


==Career== ==Career==
Starting as a Web Designer at ], he quickly worked his way up the ladder to an associate designer position and then lead designer on '']''.<ref name=int_gamasutra>{{cite web | first=Will | last=Ooi | title=An Interview with JE Sawyer - game developer, biker, and cat lover | date=September 25, 2011| url=http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WillOoi/20110925/8516/An_Interview_with_JE_Sawyer__game_developer_biker_and_cat_lover.php | work=] | publisher=] | accessdate=September 26, 2011}}</ref><ref>(July 2005). "The Arcade Classic Is Back, and It'd Better Be Good", '']'' (94): 38.</ref> Starting as a web designer at ] in 1999, Sawyer quickly worked his way up the ladder to an associate designer position and then lead designer on '']''.<ref name=int_gamasutra>{{cite web | first=Will | last=Ooi | title=An Interview with JE Sawyer - game developer, biker, and cat lover | date=September 25, 2011| url=http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WillOoi/20110925/8516/An_Interview_with_JE_Sawyer__game_developer_biker_and_cat_lover.php | work=] | publisher=] | access-date=September 26, 2011}}</ref><ref>(July 2005). "The Arcade Classic Is Back, and It'd Better Be Good", '']'' (94): 38.</ref> While at Black Isle he was known for coming up with the "Ex-Presidents" project naming system.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}


In November 2003, Sawyer announced his departure from Black Isle to pursue other projects. He had been working as lead designer of the eventually-canceled ''Fallout 3'' (codenamed '']'') alongside ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Thorsen|first=Tor|title=J.E. Sawyer bolts Black Isle|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/je-sawyer-bolts-black-isle/1100-6081708/|publisher=] | access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> Interplay went on to close Black Isle two weeks after Sawyer's departure.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thorsen|first=Tor|title=Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/interplay-shuts-down-black-isle-studios/1100-6085243/|publisher=GameSpot | access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>
While at Black Isle he was known for coming up with the "Ex-Presidents" project naming system. When ] closed down ] many team members ended up at ], which would eventually come to include J.E. Sawyer.


On July 19, 2005, ] reported that he had left Midway's '']'', and was accepting a position at ], a studio founded and staffed by many veterans of Black Isle. His first role was as the lead designer for '']''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thorsen|first=Tor|title=J.E. Sawyer off Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/je-sawyer-off-gauntlet-seven-sorrows/1100-6129391/|publisher=GameSpot | access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>
In November of 2003 it was reported by Tor Thorsen of ] that he had abruptly quit his role as lead designer of '']'' to pursue other projects.


He later acted as the project director and lead designer of '']''. In December 2011 Sawyer publicly released a ''New Vegas'' mod designed for his own personal use adding a large variety of small tweaks to the game ranging from rebalancing the karma of certain characters to slowing down the level up speed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114996-Fallout-New-Vegas-Project-Director-Releases-Personal-Mod | title=Fallout: New Vegas Project Director Releases Personal Mod | work=] | publisher=] | first=Mike | last=Kayatta | date=December 30, 2011 | access-date=March 8, 2015 | archive-date=October 22, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022163657/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114996-Fallout-New-Vegas-Project-Director-Releases-Personal-Mod | url-status=dead }}</ref> As of November 2012, this mod has been updated to version 5.1.<ref>{{cite web|title=JSawyer.esp - v5.1|url=http://twofoldsilence.diogenes-lamp.info/2012/09/jsawyeresp-v51.html}}</ref>
On July 19, 2005 GameSpot announced that he had left Midway's '']'', and was already employed by ] to work on '']''. He was preceded in that move by memorable game designer ], who left work on the ''Gauntlet'' remake in June 2005. He was the Project Director and Lead Designer on the canceled<ref>{{cite web|last=Faylor|first=Chris|title=Aliens RPG Cancelled, Says Ex-Obsidian Staffer|url=http://www.shacknews.com/article/57401/aliens-rpg-cancelled-says-ex|publisher=Shacknews}}</ref> ''Aliens RPG''.<ref></ref>


He also served as the project director and lead designer on the ''Aliens RPG''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sega.com/news/?n=1962 |title=SEGA Signs Obsidian Entertainment To Develop Alien Title For Next-generation Systems |access-date=2008-10-10 |archive-date=2009-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428071131/http://www.sega.com/news/?n=1962 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ], the game's publisher, subsequently canceled the project, resulting in layoffs at Obsidian.<ref>{{cite web|last=Faylor|first=Chris|title=Aliens RPG Cancelled, Says Ex-Obsidian Staffer|url=http://www.shacknews.com/article/57401/aliens-rpg-cancelled-says-ex|work=] |date=25 February 2009 | access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> According to Obsidian CEO ], the game - titled ''Aliens: Crucible''<ref>{{cite web|title=Here's What Obsidian's Cancelled RPG Aliens: Crucible Looked Like|url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/sega-alien-rpg/1227456p1.html|publisher=] | access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> - "looked and felt like it was ready to ship".<ref>{{cite news|last=Purchese|first=Robert|title=Obsidian's canned Aliens RPG looks finished in new gameplay video|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-20-obsidians-canned-aliens-rpg-looks-finished-in-new-gameplay-video|work=Eurogamer |date=20 February 2013 | access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Purchese|first=Robert|title=Obsidian: Aliens RPG was "ready to ship"|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/obsidian-aliens-rpg-was-ready-to-ship|work=Eurogamer |date=29 April 2010 | access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref>
He was the Project Director and Lead Designer of '']''.


In 2012, with Obsidian on the brink of financial disaster after the cancellation of another project by a publisher, Sawyer proposed the company return to its design roots by making an isometric RPG in the style of those created at Black Isle. Arguing there was a market for this type of game among fans, Sawyer suggested turning to the platform ] to secure funding for development without a publisher. He succeeded in persuading company leadership, and the resulting game, '']'', met its Kickstarter funding goal of 1.1 million dollars in 27 hours. It ultimately raised nearly four million dollars, setting a Kickstarter record at the time.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schreier|first=Jason|title=How Kickstarter Saved Obsidian|url=http://kotaku.com/how-kickstarter-saved-obsidian-1716537369 | work=] |date=8 July 2015 | access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-12-04-project-eternity-crowd-funding-ends-grand-total-now-USD4-3-million | title=Project Eternity crowd-funding ends, grand total now $4.3 million | work=] | publisher=Gamer Network | first=Robert | last=Purchese | date=December 4, 2012 | access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-12-10-obsidian-renames-project-eternity-releases-a-proper-video | title=Obsidian renames Project Eternity, releases a proper video | work=] | publisher=Gamer Network | first=Robert | last=Purchese | date=December 10, 2012 | access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> Sawyer later served as director and narrative designer on its sequel, '']'', which was also crowdfunded and released in 2018.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deadfire | title=Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire | work=] | date=January 26, 2017 | access-date=February 14, 2022 | publisher=]}}</ref>
==Notable game credits==

*'']'' (2010), 1C-SoftClub
Sawyer's next project was a departure from fantasy CRPG games. He pitched a smaller project that is more focused on history, inspired by tales about 16th century German artists like ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/11/10/recommended-reading-of-medieval-history-from-josh-sawyer/ | title=Josh Sayers's Recommended Reading list for Pentiment| date=10 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/how-obsidians-latest-game-is-inspired-by-a-medieval-theory-about-god-and-worms | title=How Obsidian's Latest Game is Inspired By a Medieval Theory About God and Worms | date=14 November 2022 }}</ref> The game is called '']'', and focuses on a murder mystery in 16th century Bavaria. The player takes control of the main character Andreas, a young artist working in a monastery.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/story/pertinent-best-game-2022/ | title=Pentiment May Be the Best New Game You've Never Heard Of | magazine=Wired | last1=Krishna | first1=Swapna }}</ref> The game was released on November 15, 2022, for ], ] and ] platforms.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/24/23319985/pentiment-xbox-pc-release-date-game-pass-obsidian-microsoft | title=Obsidian's old-timey Pentiment gets a November release date| date=24 August 2022}}</ref>
*'']'' (2010), Obsidian Entertainment

*'']'' (2006), Obsidian Entertainment
==Games==
*'']'' (2003), Interplay
{| class="wikitable"
*'']'' (2002), Interplay
|+
*'']'' (2002), Interplay
!Year
*'']'' (2001), Interplay
!Title
*'']'' (2000), Interplay
!Role
|-
!2000
|'']''
| rowspan="2" |designer
|-
!2001
|'']''
|-
!2002
|'']''
| rowspan="3" |lead designer
|-
!2005
|'']''
|-
!2006
|'']''
|-
! rowspan="3" |2010
|'']''
|designer
|-
|'']''
|director, lead designer
|-
|'']''
|lead systems designer, narrative designer
|-
! rowspan="4" |2011
|'']''
|project director, narrative designer
|-
|'']''
| rowspan="2" |lead systems designer, narrative designer
|-
|'']''
|-
|'']''
|project director
|-
!2015
|'']''
|director, lead designer, additional writing
|-
!2018
|'']''
|director, narrative designer
|-
!2022
|'']''
|game and narrative director
|}


==References== ==References==
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==External links== ==External links==
* * at ]
{{Commons category|Joshua E. Sawyer}}
*
*{{Twitter|jesawyer}}


{{Black Isle Studios}} {{Black Isle Studios}}
{{Obsidian Entertainment Games}} {{Obsidian Entertainment}}

{{authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME =Sawyer, Josh
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =October 18, 1975
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Josh}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Josh}}
] ]
]
] ]
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
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] ]
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]

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{{videogame-bio-stub}}
]

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Latest revision as of 20:35, 2 May 2024

American video game designer
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (April 2024)
Josh Sawyer
BornJoshua Eric Sawyer
(1975-10-18) October 18, 1975 (age 49)
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
NationalityAmerican
Alma materLawrence University
OccupationGame designer
EmployerObsidian Entertainment
Known forIcewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, Pentiment
ParentGerald P. Sawyer (father)

Joshua Eric Sawyer (born October 18, 1975), more commonly known and credited as Josh Sawyer, J.E. Sawyer, or JSawyer, is an American video game designer, known for his work on role-playing video games.

Early life and education

Sawyer grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, and is the son of Linda Sawyer and sculptor Gerald P. Sawyer. He is of German ancestry.

Sawyer majored in history at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, after initially starting out as a voice student. Sawyer continued his involvement in theater and music, including directing a production of Assassins his junior year, and minored in theatre. He also began learning web design and Adobe Flash, which sparked his interest in joining the game industry out of college.

Career

Starting as a web designer at Black Isle Studios in 1999, Sawyer quickly worked his way up the ladder to an associate designer position and then lead designer on Icewind Dale II. While at Black Isle he was known for coming up with the "Ex-Presidents" project naming system.

In November 2003, Sawyer announced his departure from Black Isle to pursue other projects. He had been working as lead designer of the eventually-canceled Fallout 3 (codenamed Van Buren) alongside Chris Avellone. Interplay went on to close Black Isle two weeks after Sawyer's departure.

On July 19, 2005, GameSpot reported that he had left Midway's Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, and was accepting a position at Obsidian Entertainment, a studio founded and staffed by many veterans of Black Isle. His first role was as the lead designer for Neverwinter Nights 2.

He later acted as the project director and lead designer of Fallout: New Vegas. In December 2011 Sawyer publicly released a New Vegas mod designed for his own personal use adding a large variety of small tweaks to the game ranging from rebalancing the karma of certain characters to slowing down the level up speed. As of November 2012, this mod has been updated to version 5.1.

He also served as the project director and lead designer on the Aliens RPG. Sega, the game's publisher, subsequently canceled the project, resulting in layoffs at Obsidian. According to Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart, the game - titled Aliens: Crucible - "looked and felt like it was ready to ship".

In 2012, with Obsidian on the brink of financial disaster after the cancellation of another project by a publisher, Sawyer proposed the company return to its design roots by making an isometric RPG in the style of those created at Black Isle. Arguing there was a market for this type of game among fans, Sawyer suggested turning to the platform Kickstarter to secure funding for development without a publisher. He succeeded in persuading company leadership, and the resulting game, Pillars of Eternity, met its Kickstarter funding goal of 1.1 million dollars in 27 hours. It ultimately raised nearly four million dollars, setting a Kickstarter record at the time. Sawyer later served as director and narrative designer on its sequel, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, which was also crowdfunded and released in 2018.

Sawyer's next project was a departure from fantasy CRPG games. He pitched a smaller project that is more focused on history, inspired by tales about 16th century German artists like Albrecht Dürer. The game is called Pentiment, and focuses on a murder mystery in 16th century Bavaria. The player takes control of the main character Andreas, a young artist working in a monastery. The game was released on November 15, 2022, for Xbox, Xbox Game Pass and Windows platforms.

Games

Year Title Role
2000 Icewind Dale designer
2001 Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter
2002 Icewind Dale II lead designer
2005 Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows
2006 Neverwinter Nights 2
2010 Alpha Protocol designer
Fallout: New Vegas director, lead designer
Fallout: New Vegas: Dead Money lead systems designer, narrative designer
2011 Fallout: New Vegas: Honest Hearts project director, narrative designer
Fallout: New Vegas: Old World Blues lead systems designer, narrative designer
Fallout: New Vegas: Lonesome Road
Fallout: New Vegas: Gun Runners' Arsenal project director
2015 Pillars of Eternity director, lead designer, additional writing
2018 Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire director, narrative designer
2022 Pentiment game and narrative director

References

  1. "J.E. Sawyer". GiantBomb. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  2. Daily Jefferson County Union. January 14th, 2011. Liedtke, Carolyn. "Sawyer sculpts success throughout Wisconsin". p. 3.
  3. "J.E. Sawyer". Archived from the original on 2013-04-12.
  4. "@jesawyer tweet, 2023-02-19".
  5. "@jesawyer tweet, 2023-07-11".
  6. Berthiaume, Ed (January 18, 2023). "Lawrence expertise fuels historical role-playing game that's drawing rave reviews". Lawrence University News Service.
  7. Ooi, Will (September 25, 2011). "An Interview with JE Sawyer - game developer, biker, and cat lover". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  8. (July 2005). "The Arcade Classic Is Back, and It'd Better Be Good", Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (94): 38.
  9. Thorsen, Tor. "J.E. Sawyer bolts Black Isle". GameSpot. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  10. Thorsen, Tor. "Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios". GameSpot. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  11. Thorsen, Tor. "J.E. Sawyer off Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows". GameSpot. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  12. Kayatta, Mike (December 30, 2011). "Fallout: New Vegas Project Director Releases Personal Mod". The Escapist. Defy Media. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  13. "JSawyer.esp - v5.1".
  14. "SEGA Signs Obsidian Entertainment To Develop Alien Title For Next-generation Systems". Archived from the original on 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  15. Faylor, Chris (25 February 2009). "Aliens RPG Cancelled, Says Ex-Obsidian Staffer". Shacknews. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  16. "Here's What Obsidian's Cancelled RPG Aliens: Crucible Looked Like". GameSpy. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  17. Purchese, Robert (20 February 2013). "Obsidian's canned Aliens RPG looks finished in new gameplay video". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  18. Purchese, Robert (29 April 2010). "Obsidian: Aliens RPG was "ready to ship"". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  19. Schreier, Jason (8 July 2015). "How Kickstarter Saved Obsidian". Kotaku. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  20. Purchese, Robert (December 4, 2012). "Project Eternity crowd-funding ends, grand total now $4.3 million". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  21. Purchese, Robert (December 10, 2012). "Obsidian renames Project Eternity, releases a proper video". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  22. "Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire". Fig. Obsidian Entertainment. January 26, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  23. "Josh Sayers's Recommended Reading list for Pentiment". 10 November 2022.
  24. "How Obsidian's Latest Game is Inspired By a Medieval Theory About God and Worms". 14 November 2022.
  25. Krishna, Swapna. "Pentiment May Be the Best New Game You've Never Heard Of". Wired.
  26. "Obsidian's old-timey Pentiment gets a November release date". 24 August 2022.

External links

Black Isle Studios
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