Obsidian’s fun and colourful Avowed doesn’t sound like a one-and-done effort by the developer behind The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas.
Avowed arrived last week to a positive reception, and now a Bloomberg interview with the game’s director Carrie Patel includes the suggestion we’ll see more of the franchise from Obsidian.
Asked whether Patel’s next project would be something new, the director said that work on more Avowed content – be that for this game, or sequels – was more likely.
“Now that we’ve built this wonderful world, and also built this team strength and muscle memory around the content and gameplay in this world, I’d love to see us do more with it,” Patel said.
Obsidian has invested more than six years in Avowed, and longer in its Pillars of Eternity universe. Development on the project began in 2018, two years prior to the company’s acquisition by Microsoft.
Initially planned as a multiplayer version of Skyrim with a massive open world, Obsidian ditched the game’s online component relatively early on. After Patel came on board to lead the game in 2021, the decision was then made to also switch the game’s map from open world to multiple large open zones. The game also ended up leaning further into the Pillars of Eternity universe’s lore than initially planned, too.
“With any game you think, ‘OK, we can’t climb every mountain – which ones are really worth the effort for us?'” Patel said. “We knew from The Outer Worlds that we could build a really great game with open zones, and that also adds some advantages in terms of letting you really theme your areas more distinctly and intentionally, and provide a sense of progression as the player’s going from one environment to the next.”
“What Avowed lacks in gloss it makes up for with charm, depth and a playful heart,” our Bertie wrote in Eurogamer’s Avowed review. “It’s one of this year’s most pleasant surprises.”
Earlier this month, Obsidian said it was planning to still be open for its 100th anniversary – in another 78 years – by staying “lean and invested”.
