In a new Q&A vlog on his YouTube channel, Obsidian studio design director Josh Sawyer took a question about why there are so few RPGs in contemporary urban settings. Part of the problem, according to Sawyer: They're more difficult and costly to make than other RPG environments.

"One of the issues as an RPG developer that we've found⁠—at least at Obsidian and Black Isle⁠—is that, compared to a dungeon, generally speaking, a town is four times the expense per square foot, basically. Not really "square foot" but, if you have a map of a given size. If you have a dungeon that's this big, it costs X. If you have a town that's populated with people that feels realistic, that's four times as expensive.

"Obviously, that's a generalization, but that's something that is reflected in our [past] work. As we work on areas over time, when we get towards the end, we realize: 'Holy crap, we spent forever trying to do these maps.'

"For example, at the end of [Pillars of Eternity], we had to do Twin Elms.…