Summary
Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming fantasy RPGAvowedhas proven it has a decent amount of anticipation behind it with how many onlooking fans have contributed feedback for its developer, Obsidian Entertainment, to scour over and consider. At the same time, it is a brand-new experience — despite being firmly rooted in thePillars of Eternityseries — so Obsidian has chosen todelayAvowedin favor of players' backlogs so that they might not let the RPG be swept under the rug so easily.
In the end, Obsidian’s attempts to improveAvowedand protect it from any noteworthy competition could very well pay off. ShouldAvowedachieve an immense level of success, it could renew interest in Obsidian’s previous work and trigger a revival of sorts for the developer, paving a new path for it to tread as it continues moving forward.
Avowed’s Success Could Shine a Spotlight on Obsidian as a Whole
Barring Avowed’s Success, Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity Series Could Get More Attention
ShouldAvowedachieve a level of success that goes above and beyond even Obsidian’s projections, it could shine a spotlight on another of the developer’s golden gems,Pillars of Eternity. From a gameplay standpoint, thePillars of Eternityseries is a bit different fromAvowed, withPillars of Eternitybeing played from an isometric perspective andAvowedbeing played from a first-person perspective. That being said, the overall mechanics ofAvowedandPillars of Eternity’s combat and companion systems are fairly similar, considering they are both set in the same universe.
With the recent critical success ofBaldur’s Gate 3and the increasing popularity of isometric RPGs in general,Avowedcould attract more players to Obsidian’sPillars of Eternityseries.Pillars of Eternitymay see a spike in popularity as the release date forAvoweddraws nearer, but that could be even more pronounced following the release ofAvowed, especially if it achieves a standout reception. According to Obsidian,Pillars of Eternityisn’t “required reading” forAvowed, but some players might wish to spend more time in Eora after theirAvowedcredits roll.
This is just one of the ways a successful launch forAvowedcould positively impact Obsidian Entertainment as a whole.
Avowed’s Success Could Increase Hype for The Outer Worlds 2
One of Obsidian’s more recent releases,The Outer Worlds, was highly anticipated ahead of its launch due to the developer’s massive success withFallout: New Vegas. For the most part,The Outer Worldsperformed admirably, especially with it being a new IP. However, it failed to live up to the hype, likely due to unrealistic expectations that it would be anotherFallout: New Vegasexperience. Some critics notedThe Outer Worlds' combatas being too simple and lacking depth, while others felt any marks left by the narrative were easily forgettable.
On Jun 11, 2025, Obsidian announcedThe Outer Worlds 2at Xbox and Bethesda’s joint E3 presentation, immediately capturing the attention of fans of the first game. Since then, not much has been revealed about it, but hopes are high that it will outperform its predecessor. IfAvowedis successful enough, it would likely build even more anticipation forThe Outer Worlds 2. Either way, a brighter spotlight would be shone onObsidian Entertainment, paving a new road for the developer’s future.
It’s unclear whereAvowedmight take Obsidian after its February 2025 launch, but early previews of the game are promising, as well as the confirmation that the developer has been hard at work improvingAvowedaccording to feedback from the community. Surely,unlessAvowedutterly fails, it will stir at least some renewed interest in Obsidian’s past work, as well as its upcoming sequel toThe Outer Worlds.
