Avowed Sales Impress Obsidian; Game Director Eager to Expand the Universe

Avowed Launch: Early Impressions and Insights from Obsidian Entertainment

Avowed, the highly anticipated role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and its first release under the Xbox Game Studios banner, has made waves since its official launch three days ago. Ignited by excitement, players are eagerly awaiting a surge in concurrency data over the weekend, which is expected to reveal significant player engagement, particularly on Steam. In the meantime, Bloomberg has provided some insight regarding the game’s performance through an interview with Game Director Carrie Patel, indicating that initial sales figures have met the studio’s expectations.

Creative Evolution: Streamlining Development

During her discussion with Bloomberg, Patel delved into the creative journey leading up to the reboot in 2021, when she stepped into the role of director. She reflected on her experiences, stating:

“I feel like I’ve learned so much over the past four years that I wish I’d known at the start of this process. It’s definitely been a job where the highs are really high and the lows are really low. Normally, if you’re stepping back and reevaluating your creative direction, putting together a new vertical slice and revised production plans, you would do that with a very small team. We did not have a very small team at that point.”

Rethinking Game Design: Emphasizing Focused Environments

One significant shift resulting from the reboot was the decision to move away from a vast, open-world structure reminiscent of Skyrim, towards a design approach more akin to Obsidian’s successful previous titles. Patel emphasized the importance of prioritizing thematic areas, stating:

“With any game, you think, ‘Ok, we can’t climb every mountain – which ones are really worth the effort for us? 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.”

Future Possibilities: Hints at Sequels

Patel concluded her insights by expressing optimism about the potential for future expansions within the world of Avowed. She remarked:

“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.”

Given Patel’s previous involvement with Pillars of Eternity, it’s likely she was alluding not just to the broader Eora universe, but specifically to this more action-oriented iteration. However, the studio’s future projects will largely hinge on Microsoft’s evaluation of the game’s commercial success and reception.

Looking Ahead: Other Upcoming Projects

Additionally, it is noteworthy that Obsidian is also actively engaged with a dedicated team developing The Outer Worlds 2, which is anticipated to launch later this year across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X, promising exciting developments for fans of both franchises.

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