In an interview with PC Gamer, Xbox developer Obsidian has touched on some more Avowed details, including how the game's size and scope will stack up to other open world RPGs.
Feargus Urquhart, CEO at Obsidian, says that the team was "more focused on depth than breadth" when building Avowed's world - hinting that you should probably compare it to the team's sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds rather than something like Bethesda's Skyrim. This scale allowed the dev to work its companion system deep into the game's overall design, making sure it feels like an Obsidian game at heart.
"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."
The full interview also touches on other aspects of Avowed, like how the team has worked on the feel of its fantasy-action combat over the course of development at Xbox - it's well worth a read to hear more about Avowed!
We were fairly impressed with the game's Xbox Games Showcase reveal on Sunday, and it was just real nice to actually see the game in action outside of some super old screenshots and snippets of cinematics. Obsidian's next RPG will make its way onto Xbox Game Pass in 2024.
What do you make of this revelation? Let us know if you're playing Avowed on day one!
[source pcgamer.com]
Comments 48
Another game I am stupidly excited for!!!!
When I saw the video yesterday it looked so cheap I thought it was a VR game.
So far Obsidian can't miss and I'm glad it's more curated than a huge game.
I keep ignoring the obvious Playstation trolls disguised as xbox fans, but dam they keep crawling out of the woodwork. I suppose the more there are, the more obvious how massive and amazing the showcase was.
Gotta be honest that is a blow, one of my most anticipated titles and was hoping this would fill the void until ES6. Doesn't seem to be the game I was hoping it was. Still Outer Worlds was still good, but not great imo. Regardless good they get out ahead of it as soon as possible.
@Zoidpilot4 I know right. Magical new profiles suddenly appearing with doom and troll gloom. Avowed looked awesome in my view! And Xbox showed off gameplay in a game that is still likely 12+ months away from launch. Sony certainly don't do that!
It reminded me of the Outer Worlds in its aesthetic style. Obsidian have always been more focussed on Narrative and Story where as Bethesda games tend to have a 'story' you can follow, but its more about you creating your 'own' experience.
Considering this isn't due out in the next few months, I'm not overly concerned that it looks a bit rough. I remember thinking the first Starfield Game Play looked rough, especially combat and even the Graphics weren't that much better than we'd seen before.
But compared to that show, which has some areas you can directly compare with the latest show, there is quite a noticeable improvement - so I hope that they have the time to polish and improve the game.
On the one hand, people want to see 'Actual' footage of the Game-play in its 'current' and completely unfinished state instead of some CGi or 'in-engine' representation of what they are hoping to achieve, but then 'complain' when its not the 'best' thing they have ever seen despite it being a long way from releasing...
This is why I love Obsidian RPGs. They know that bigger does not always mean better... And get your mind out of the gutter.
I absolutely LOVED Outer Worlds so if this is more of that but in a more fantasy setting ... I'm all in!
This is a fantastic news to me, Outer Worlds was nearly perfect in size and scope for me.
This news has only raised my excitement. Don't need every game to be 100 hour open world. The idea that they pivoted to be smaller and more companion/narrative focused is incredible news.
@Zoidpilot4 Says the new profile that appeared 2 weeks ago! lol.
But I do know what you mean, sad to see. But also gotta be honest Avowed's trailer didn't do it for me, and it was one of my most anticipated games. We all like different things, not all negativity is trolling.
I think it still needs some work from what was shown in terms of visuals, but man the gameplay, the enemies and world look fantastic and I can't wait to explore the game. I'm terms of the games size then that's perfectly fine also, a 20 hour game is just about right and if its anything like outer worlds then there's multiple choices that effect the game, so no two play throughs were the same.
@themightyant I made the account 2 weeks ago but been reading pure for years. I have autism and wasn't sure if I could cope with interacting with others. My wife helps me understand people's views etc.
I loved the look of avowed but I can see why it won't be for everyone. Then again, no game is ever for everyone haha
@Zoidpilot4 Congrats on joining and welcome. It was just an amused observation of the new criticising the new.
I don't know what it was that didn't do it for me in the trailer. We were discussing that on another thread. But sometimes the first trailer doesn't get you, hopefully i'll be more enthused by the time it's shown again.
Good luck interacting with others. It's a minefield at times, but there are many good folks here, and we all love this hobby
I loved the companion system in the Outer Worlds. It gave you the sense of a group of adventurers you get in a classic JRPG, but in a first-person rpg. I'm looking forward to this one. Obsidian doesn't miss often.
@Suda52 Yeah I also use Howlongtobeat to see the average competition times, although I usually average just below as I don't always do everything and the longer the game goes on I end up rushing everything just to get it done, and I most likely miss side quests etc by doing that.
Quality not quantity is always preferable
I am really really bummed out with the Avowed reveal, I loved Outerworlds, so much so I was stupid enough to buy the "upgrade".
This looks like a reskinned version of that, even the melee looks like it was slammed into the engine, it doesn't look good. The use of " companions" sounds again exactly like Outerworlds despite their "importance".
I think they said a lot of similar things regarding "depth vs scope"about Outerworlds too, ya........
I think my hopes were WAY to high
You need a range of games so that everyone is happy. Avowed looked great and I liked the comment that Obsidian followed their strengths and reworked the game.
@themightyant
I don't know why, it just feels and looks like an afterthought for Obsidian. I just can't shake the feeling this was either rushed, or not high on their list of priorities
That’s fine by me. The Outer Worlds was great and didn’t over stay it’s welcome.
That’s totally fine with me. I am tired of it feeling like every game needs to be 40+ hours by industry standards. I like a more condensed adventure most of the time, personally. Outer Worlds was the perfect length.
Sounds good, sign me up!
I'm not surprised. If we backtrack to 2000 or so and think of what we'd expect from an Obsidian (or back then were they still Black Isle under Interplay?) vs Bethesda....Morrowind vs all of the D&D games Obsidian/Black Isle was doing, Alpha Protocol later on, Kotor2 etc.... This is on point. Bethesda does the sprawling expanses (often filled with nothing though, at least back then) with towns dotting the map, and Obsidian does the dense "no area wasted" design.
I don't think they're downgrading from what they're known for here. I mean SWKotor2 is basically the perfect game if only they basically didn't just stop when you got to the last chapter because time and money ran out, lol.
Obsidian doesn't do Bethesda sized maps. They never did. And it's never made their games worse. Bethesda's niche is kind of Bethesda's niche, minus a few contemporaries that reference them (Botw, Elden, Witcher, etc.)
@Cashews "I thought it was a VR game."
Don't tease me like that
@themightyant One thing that might be throwing you off in the trailer is the animation looks absolutely awful. I mean it's obvious that's just placeholder animation in the trailer, it's very unlikely the final game will release with that, but watching that looked like a sock puppet show. I'm glad they showed gameplay but the like 10 frame stop motion animation can give a bad impression.
@NEStalgia I wasn't being glib - It teased me like that when I saw it.
considering how quickly this is coming after their other games that isn't so much a surprise but i hope it is more one map than lots of little maps still.
Looks great to me can't wait
@NEStalgia ”Obsidian doesn't do Bethesda sized maps. They never did.”
Obsidian made Fallout New Vegas, which had a larger map than Bethesda’s Fallout 3.
They are absolutely capable of making expansive and exploration focused games if they want to, and that’s what I hoped that Avowed would be like.
Avowed will most likely still be a fantastic game, but I was really hoping for an Elder Scrolls type of game to make the wait for ES6 a little easier.
@JoakimZ That's true but it's also a unique instance. It was obsidian but they were playing with Bethesdas tools in Bethesda's sandbox at Bethesdas direction. Content wise it's the only fallout of the new ones that feels like real fallout because Tim Caines writing IS fallout but the game structure was built from Bethesdas design, so it's not a true obsidian original production like their d&d games, alpha protocol, etc. OW really fits the scope of an obsidian game. The density vs open expanse is a hallmark of their designs. Except NV, but that was them continuing to Bethesda's world ... Bitter sweet since it was their world before it was Bethesda's though.
Q) What do you make of this revelation?
A) I'm pleased with this info. A smaller but more focused world is far more to my preference and from what I know of the Outer Worlds, I'd love for some of it's elements to carry over to the fantasy-setting of Avowed.
I was initially displeased with the recent Avowed trailer, but getting to watch it again in my own time and being able to pause to take in the details, I have a more favourable opinion now. My enthusiasm has returned and it's highly likely a day one purchase for me.
@NEStalgia I rewatched the trailer and thought it presented better on second viewing, but it didn't blow me away either.
@somnambulance Ironically I am usually one of the first people to want a shorter more curated experience, but I thought/hoped this was going to be an Obsidian version of a Bethesda-like RPG, more in line with a fantasy New Vegas than The Outer Worlds. Those games are so few and far between and occasionally I do still want to lose myself in a world for 100+ hours.
Will likely still enjoy the game, just a little less hyped for it than I was. Expectations can be a killer.
@themightyant You know, honestly, it’s been a couple years since I’ve played New Vegas, but I remember feeling that that one was “more contained” as well. I feel like the main story is relatively short in that game, but it has longevity based on the fact that you could get lost doing a bunch of colorful side quests. New Vegas was like Fallout 3 without the shackles of 3’s weight, for me. And I say that lovingly, of course. Both games are 10/10s for me.
@somnambulance It was in some ways, but you have to understand Obsidian were forced to make that game in record time to hit a release date set by marketing/publishers... just as they were for KOTOR2.
They were only given 17-18 months to make it. Hence it was even buggier than most and not quite as broad as they would have liked. Despite that there was still plenty to do and it was a lot larger than something like The Outer Worlds, which felt more like wide-levels with set things to do, as opposed to an open world with so much freedom and choice.
Yes both 10s for me too!
@themightyant New Vegas is probably my favorite Obsidian game, so I can only compliment their efforts on it. What they did in that time frame is insane, honestly. Outer Worlds, meanwhile, was open zone like Sonic Frontiers, I suppose. I’m hoping Avowed is open world, but respects your time if you want it to. I mean, I like being able to beat a game in a week if I want to, but also being able to play it longer because I decide to. I like a 10 hour campaign that you can stretch to 80 hours if you want.
@somnambulance New Vegas definitely my favourite of theirs which is why I was hoping more like that.
I liked The Outer Worlds enough when I was playing it, but honestly once I was done I've forgotten most things about it apart from Parvati and a few other moments. It just wasn't memorable for me.
@themightyant I agree with you there. I originally scored Outer Worlds a 9/10 at release, but I think it’s settled at maybe 7 or 8/10. I remember what I liked, I really liked, ie the writing and choice of how to play (being able to actually be a persuasive character was cool, as that’s often overlooked), but I couldn’t tell you much about the story outside some of the characters at this point and the world wasn’t super memorable. It came off like Obsidian trying to make their own Fallout in some respects.
@themightyant Watching the extended showcase, I think outer worlds is probably too inaccurate a lens for it. They used that as a scope reference but I think we're looking to deep into the reference for feel. The feel is looking more like the infinity engine games / poe. Which is right on point of so. Like a 3d Neverwinter 2. Or planescape torment or bg, if that really carries through I'm not worried. Those games always lived side by side with tes and one was never lesser..
@somnambulance they were. Obsidian is key parts of the team that originally made the original fallout 1 and 2. That was the point of ow it was basically "Tim Cains fallout returns but without the license." Cain is the writer that made og black comedy fallout what it was. Bethesdas bland apocalyptic survival game is a whole different vibe. Ow is the original fallout vibe. Vault boy and all the 50s pastiche that make fo fun? Made by Cain and obsidian (plus inexile people) when they were all black isle interplay.
@NEStalgia I do forget that. I do like Bethesda’s take on the series in 3, but not as much on 4 or 76, personally. I feel like Bethesda understood, to some extent, how to reboot the series with the third entry with enough respect (and disrespect too) to what came before to make a truly memorable experience that had weight in the right places without sacrificing all the snark. It was lightning in a bottle, but honestly since both Bethesda and Obsidian are owned by Xbox, sharing is caring and I hope MS gets creative with their licenses.
I am really happy about the size. Huge games intimidate me and I rarely finish them. I'm so looking forward to this game.
@somnambulance It felt like a great first effort, a good template to build off for me. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
So perhaps I should be more excited about the Avowed trailer, but it just didn't float my boat as much as I hoped. It was my #2 most anticipated post-Starfield release after Fable, but both underwhelmed for me in the showcase a bit.
@NEStalgia They did. They said MORE Outer Worlds than Skyrim, not that the scope would be completely as narrow. But still not what I hoped for. Still looking forward to it, just a little less so than before.
@themightyant I dunno. Fable looked pretty great. It looked like we got some gameplay pretending to be a cinematic, which was exciting, but who knows if the game is that powerful or if that’s just set pieces? I see what you mean though. I expect we’ll see Avowed much sooner than Fable. I’m hoping it’s the next one after Starfield. I mean, I’m one of the few that thought Hellblade was just ok (like a 6 or 7/10 tier title), so the sequel does nothing for me outside being a nice piece of tech.
@somnambulance I thought Fable LOOKED graphically incredible. But I don't think any of that was gameplay apart from maybe a few seconds where they showed things like hurling a fireball. But even then they messed about with the camera so much that it's unlikely the final game will be like that. It's why I don't like "in-engine" stuff it's just the modern equivalent of 'Bullshots' - doctored in-engine photos that don't accurately represent the final game we play. But it was more about the tone, which didn't quite feel like Fable to me. Jury's out.
I agree Hellblade was a 6 - 7 out of 10 in SOME areas, possibly even lower in terms of gameplay. But the things they did with spatial audio (Headphones were a must) and mental health made it one of the most intense and memorable games i've ever played, I could only play it in small doses and it stuck with me. That is worth so much more to me than an average score of all it's mechanics. If that side of it didn't work for you then it's a very average game.
@themightyant The jury’s still out on Fable for sure, but I want to believe. I reckon Starfield will likely impact our expectations of any future Xbox titles in a significant way. If Starfield is what it looks like, I’m thinking we’ll all be pretty eager for what’s next, but if it bluffs it then it is hard to expect great things from anything else. It’s just a shame Redfall kicked off the big exclusives line-up to set up an uncomfortable feeling.
Yeah, that’s sort of how I feel about Hellblade too. I thought the audio was really cool, but the game felt like a chore to get through. The story is definitely excellent and I can forgive gameplay for a solid story a lot of the time, but Hellblade got so much praise from friends that I was sort of baffled when I actually played it. I didn’t have fun with it at all. The puzzles were dull. But I slugged through it and it IS memorable. It’s got a very good interactive movie in a 5/10 tier game. But because my experience was largely “I’m pushing through this,” I can’t honestly be excited for the sequel. I’ll try it, sure, but unless it improves on the first significantly, I‘ll drop it quick.
Considering Skyrim is deeper than the Outer Worlds… yikes.
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...