Obsidian's Avowed Is An Outer Worlds And Skyrim Crossover
Obsidian Entertainment is hoping to continue its acclaimed legacy of game development, with the studio behind Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Fallout: New Vegas unveiling its next venture. If you haven't heard, Obsidian has grand plans for Avowed.
Obsidian has come a long way since its early days as an indie studio, and while we've still seen no sign of New Vegas 2, the developer's acquisition by Microsoft has pushed it toward a brighter future. Following the release of The Outer Worlds in 2019 and Grounded's early access in 2020, Avowed is up next.
What is Avowed?
According to Windows Central, Avowed will be a cross between The Outer Worlds and Skyrim. Leaning into the Tamriel-themed elements, author Jez Corden promised the game will feature "multiple class playstyles", while dual-wielding, two-handed weapons, and wizardry will all come into play.
Despite the clear comparisons to Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series, the article states Avowed will be more "loadout-based" and include class-specific fighting styles. For example, Warriors are largely used for physical attacks while Spellcasters can bind their magical attacks to specific buttons.
Set in Obsidian's already established Pillars of Eternity Universe, there will be a first-person viewpoint similar to The Outer Worlds. Things are tipped to be more colourful than Skyrim. The Outer Worlds was Obsidian's answer to a mainline Fallout game, whereas Avowed is described as the dev's take on Skyrim.
Players will get to explore "luminescent cave mushrooms, verdant forests awash with gigantic flora, and hulking sunlit temples complete with skeleton-infested depths". Getting in on the spooky content, "Tombs are plentiful".
With Avowed being announced at the Xbox Game Showcase in July 2020, there are high hopes it could be in a playable state by next year's E3. At least Microsoft has promised it'll arrive before The Elder Scrolls 6.
Are the Avowed claims real?
It's a stark U-turn considering even Corden says the first trailer gave off a much darker tone. A leaker by the name of Klobrille has also backed up many of Corden's statements while adding that Avowed will focus heavily on spells in general - with particular attention to their first-person animations to make magic use feel more tangible.
Both of them made a big point to highlight how much more colourful and vibrant Avowed looks compared to Skyrim. Corden describes how huge sunlit temples will be a stark contrast to the darker locales - reportedly with elements of destructible environments. By the sounds of things, Avowed may take on a more fantastical feel and look, similar to that of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
There wasn’t much more information to go off, apart from reports that the title is in a pre-alpha state. With still no word on Avowed's release, expect a few more years before we can get our hands on Obsidian's latest. For those looking to find out about the world of Eora, both Pillars of Eternity I and II are currently available on PC and last-gen consoles.
