The Outer Worlds 2 has no release date, but the sequel to the highly satirical and stylistic Outer Worlds made by Obsidian Entertainment. The first game found its foundation in exploring and critiquing the influence of business on the control of colony life. While The Outer Worlds 2 just having a meta-based trailer that provides comical commentary on the art of video game trailers, a satire of the military-industrial complex could work in its favor.
The outer worlds was released in 2019 by Obsidian Entertainment and quickly became a success for critics and fans alike. Although the game was known for being short, its characters, story, dialogue, writing, and satire were highly praised and credited to its performance. Considered a spiritual successor to Obsidian’s Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds 2 build on that idea by exploring the military-industrialization complex.
Hypercorporation in the outer worlds
The outer worlds was highly stylized in its approach to graphics, art, design, story, characters and depiction of a business world in the future. Set in an alternate timeline where President McKinley is not assassinated, Theodore Roosevelt never manages to break corporate trusts, leading to the development of mega-corporations. In the future, several companies will pool their resources to buy the Halcyon galaxy in the outer colonies.
From there, The outer worlds explores how life evolved on the fringes of a galaxy that is wholly owned and anchored in every aspect of life. The game shows hypercapitalization to the extreme, which is what it’s all about in the end. Settlers are just manpower fodder to let the system rob the poor and benefit the rich. While aspects of this future are exaggerated to appear darker and more depressing, many aspects are not entirely different from the corporate mindset and influences that exist today.
Satirizing the military-industrial complex
No final setting has been revealed for the new title featuring The Outer Worlds 2 still developing, only that it will exist in a new galaxy and still retain the same shape as The outer worlds. This ensures that satire and commentary of the same caliber will be present. While there are many industries, governments, corporations and other bodies to satirize, the military-industrial complex makes the most sense, especially with current concerns about the complex itself, along with concerns about overt government control and human rights restriction.
While The outer worlds showed the extremes of companies with advertisements, shoddy products and corporate loyalty approaches, The Outer Worlds 2 might show how the extreme of the military-industrial complex can lead to an isolationist or fascist state of existence, but keep it in the series’ satirical style. While tyrannically controlled governments have been depicted in media and games, it would be an eye opener to see how Obsidian envisions this extreme.
The disappearance of the Cornelius Vanderbilt
Another reason to investigate and denounce the military-industrial complex comes from the loose threads at the end of The outer worlds. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that the last Earth Directorate Ship, a government ship that represents Earth and brings news, personnel, and supplies, disappears on its return journey to Earth. Shortly afterwards, it turns out that the Earth has been dark for more than 36 months.
Without the Earth Directorate in The outer worlds overseeing the outer colonies and the disappearance of a ship from the Earth Directorate, political ramifications on the various run colonies could be devastating. Now that the system of checks and balances has fallen silent, anarchy, tyranny and the like can reign supreme. Who or what is responsible for these disappearances is not revealed, leaving the fate of all the outer colonies and their governments in question.
The Outer Worlds 2 is currently under development.
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