Obsidian's upcoming RPG Avowed was supposed to be out at this point, but the game was eventually delayed to February 2025 earlier this year. While delays in this industry often happen due to evolving development timelines, Xbox insists this isn't the case with Avowed.
Speaking in a new interview with Game File, Xbox boss Phil Spencer talked a little bit about Avowed and its upcoming launch. Basically, Phil says that the team's hectic Xbox Game Pass schedule this fall meant that Microsoft could afford to delay the title to next year.
"Matt Booty and I, we plan it out, we talk with the Game Pass team. We say, 'Okay, what are the big launches coming in?' We also have STALKER, which isn’t even on that list, but obviously for us is a very meaningful launch.
We said, 'Okay, let's make sure we pace this out a little better.'"
Of course, this reasoning doesn't mean the dev team won't make use of the extra breathing room that this delay affords them. Phil says that Obsidian will "use the time" as they continue to polish up Avowed for its Xbox Game Pass launch on Feb. 18th.
As for the Xbox Game Pass lineup that Avowed is now avoiding - we've got Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Stalker 2 coming this month, with Bethesda's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to follow in early December. Delaying Avowed probably was the right call in the end!