Avowed is an upcoming Obsidian Entertainment action RPG that exists in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity. The title is set to be published by Xbox Game Studios and has a 2024 release year, when it will come to PC and Xbox Series X/S. Obsidian Entertainment recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and released a five part documentary series discussing its history. The documentary talks about the origins of the company from 2003 to the present day.
SEE: Avowed: Stop Gap or Skyrim Successor?
The final video in the series examines the future of the video game studio and gives fans a taste of what is to come for Avowed. Since Obsidian was acquired by Microsoft in 2018, the company has even more resources it plans to devote to development. One interesting aspect surrounding the origin of Avowed is discussed by Feargus Urduhart in the final video. He explains:
“One of the things where I really pushed was that Avowed was going to be multiplayer, and I kept on that for a long time, and in the end it was the wrong decision to keep on pushing on it.”
He explains a primary reason for making the game multiplayer was funding. The studio was still independent when it started developing Avowed and did not have Microsoft backing it. Multiplayer was important to publishers who were interested in funding the project. This type of game would mean more potential for profit after the burst of sales on a base game have declined. However, it became clear to the devs that a multiplayer title was not the direction for Avowed. Obsidian would have to dismantle aspects that played out well in a single player campaign, in order to accommodate a cooperative style of play.
Obsidian Entertainment Chose to Pivot Away From Multiplayer For Avowed
Justin Britch, Head of Development for the studio, explained how Avowed needed to change. In the documentary he says:
“After working on it for a little bit we realized that we weren’t focused on the things that we’re best at…and so we made a pivot on the game basically, to refocus really and make sure that it was, at the end of the day, an Obsidian game and not something different.”
Obsidian looked at the big picture and decided it needed Avowed to fit into the studio’s strengths. Although the title will certainly get compared to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, those who work for the company believe they are bringing something new and unique to players. One way Avowed will set itself apart is through its companion character feature. According to Carrie Patel, a writer and director with Obsidian, the studio put a lot of focus into this part of the game. She explains:
“One thing we wanted to do with Avowed was make sure the companions felt really integral to the story. In some games they’re optionally recruitable, but in Avowed they’re deeply tied to the story, tied to your party… we really wanted to create this sense that you’re in this big wild frontier, you’re going on this adventure of discovery, and you have this small but tight knit crew with you. The sense you’re adventuring through the wilds together, sharing in the discovery and the danger. These people are just as much a part of your story as the larger events that you’re getting in the middle of.”
It certainly sounds like Avowed is going to be an exciting new game and give players another RPG title to play for hours. Although there is no exact date, gamers are crossing their fingers in hope that they will be seeing the title before the end of next year.
What do you think of the fact the developers for Avowed wanted to stay away from diving into multiplayer territory? Is it better for an RPG to be single player focused? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
Source: PC Gamer and Obsidian YouTube
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