Obsidian unearthing Dungeon Siege 3

Dungeon Siege 3 is under development by Obsidian Entertainment, Square Enix announced today. The publisher did not provide a release date but did say that the role-playing game is set to feature an all-new cooperative multiplayer mode, a deep story, and customizable character classes. It will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, marking the series' first outing on consoles. Original developer Gas Powered Games will provide additional support to Obsidian, with designer Chris Taylor serving as an adviser.

The game will once again be set in the kingdom of Ehb, where the balance of power between rival factions has fallen apart. Players will take on the role of a member of the disgraced protectors of the land, known as the 10th Legion. With the kingdom tearing itself apart, the Legion is tasked with rebuilding its numbers and restoring peace. There are also hints that the story will feature a morality system, with Square Enix saying that players will have "weighty decisions to make that will impact their alliances, enemies and the culmination of the story."

Developer Obsidian is not new to collaborations nor to the RPG genre. In 2003 it partnered with BioWare to develop Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, which was well received critically. It also developed Neverwinter Nights 2 and Alpha Protocol and is currently at work on Fallout: New Vegas with Bethesda.

Dungeon Siege 3 is the first outing for the series in more than five years. The last entry was Dungeon Siege II, which was released in 2005 to generally favourable reviews.