Trey Parker and Matt Stone Picked Obsidian for ‘South Park: The Game’

Trey Parker and Matt Stone must know that the South Park games, thus far, have been pretty bad because they clearly don’t want to screw South Park: The Game. Not only has the creative duo behind the series sought to create a South Park game unlike anything that has come before it, they handpicked the developer (Obsidian) working on the project, and will not let it release until it’s “perfect.”

Parker and Stone, before THQ acquired the publishing rights to the game, approached Obsidian in the hopes that they would develop this RPG set in theSouth Park world. THQ’s Danny Bilson estimates that this relationship had been going on for about a year before THQ was even brought into the mix.

According to Bilson Parker and Stone “were looking for a publisher to get it involved and pick it up and drive it the rest of the way,” and that’s when THQ got involved. THQ might not necessarily have been the ideal choice for South Park, especially given predictions that the studio won’t survive the year, but apparently Obsidian was the right choice.

While it’s unclear based on Bilson’s comments how much control Stone and Parker have over the end product, you’d have to figure they gave themselves final say on any and everything regarding the game. Bilson even went so far as to say they would delay South Park: The Game past its 2012 release date if Parker and Stone were not satisfied with the game – something very rare for today. At the moment THQ and Obsidian are trying to make it work, matching with the schedules of Parker and Stone, but a delay seems pretty likely at this point.

The announcement of this South Park RPG, where the player rises through the ranks of the Colorado town, came as quite a surprise, but the more we hear and see about it the more intriguing it sounds. Still, when a game like Tenorman’s Revenge, a nigh unplayable platformer, releases carrying the South Park moniker it begs the question whether the property is simply used as a cash grab. But if the show’s creators have as much control over the end product, as it seems they do, then fans should have nothing to worry about.

Should Trey Parker and Matt Stone have the ultimate say in South Park: The Gameeven if it delays the title past its 2012 release date? Do you think that Obsidian was the right choice for this game?

South Park: The Game is targeting a 2012 release for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.