We’re big Western RPG fans here at SG. From Baldur’s Gate, to Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Divinity Original Sin, and more, we adore them. While the fact that Obsidian has been working on a AAA RPG for some time wasn’t a secret, we believe it could be a truly generational title based on some details that have been shared.
The Outer Worlds and Grounded
For those uninitiated, Obsidian Entertainment is now under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella and has been working on three titles. The first is Outer Worlds which was published by Private Division and released in the fall of last year to critical acclaim. In our review, we stated how the game felt like the return of early BioWare titles (a very good thing). The first expansion to the game releases on September 9th and is titled Peril on Gorgon.
The second title is Grounded; a co-op survival game in the vein of Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Grounded releases today in Xbox Game Preview and is being made by a small team within Obsidian.
Avowed
The third title, and the reason you’re here, we now know is Avowed. Even before the Xbox acquisition of Obsidian, it was already known that their core team(s) had been working on a new, AAA RPG. And if you believe rumors, it’s a big reason why Xbox purchased the studio. After learning some details, we can see why.
Avowed is being touted as “the RPG Obsidian always wanted to make“. For a studio that has developed Knights of the Old Republic 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity among others, that’s quite the statement. Avowed is a first-person, fantasy RPG that takes place on Eora in the Pillars of Eternity universe.
Since the Xbox Games Showcase, further information has been shared on Avowed. While Obsidian hasn’t given these details directly, we have good reason to believe they are true as it stands today.
- The title is already in “full” production and the team will continue to grow from the 100+ it is already today.
- It will be a full open world title with a focus on density of areas. It will feature:
- Major cities including landmarks and iconic buildings.
- A real-time weather system.
- A large focus on world interactivity including advanced A.I.
- Large-scale boss battles.
- Gods will have a “focus” (though we’re unsure as to what detail).
- It will have a very detailed character creation tool expanding upon what was seen in PoE.
- Companions will play a role though differently from PoE as the game is first-person.
- Dynamic, advanced dialog/writing is a key design aspect.
- The title will be fully invested in Pillars of Eternity lore.
- Advanced mod support is planned and usable on Xbox as well as PC.
