Ever since it was first announced way back in 2020, hype has been quietly building for Obsidian’sAvowedas being the next big fantasy RPG title. It is set in a tried and tested world, which was the host to thePillars of Eternityseries. Although there will be some growing pains expanding the game from a traditional, Infinity Engine-style CRPG to a massive, first-person RPG, things are looking good ahead ofAvowed’s release in February, even if the seemingly constant delays have become a bit of a concern and stopped the hype from building steadily.
A big reason forAvowed’s hype are the comparisons toThe Elder Scrollsseries, with both being first person RPGs in rich fantasy worlds. Obsidian has already worked on a Bethesda title before, the famedFallout: New Vegas, so comparisons were always going to happen, especially because there seems to be a never-ending wait forThe Elder Scrolls 6since its announcementall the way back in 2018. Still,Avowedlikely won’t fill that hole, and Obsidian is actively trying to avoid comparisons with the likes ofSkyrim, although these efforts appear to be in vain.
Avowed Won’t Be As Big As Skyrim
The Smaller Size Will Make It More Focused
In an interview withPCGamesN, Carrie Patel (the game director forAvowed) stated that comparisons toSkyrimwere going to be impossible to escape for a first-person fantasy RPG, but did say that Obsidian looks at"Avowed as our fantasy take on The Outer Worlds"with the game having a similar scope to the 2019 space adventure.The Outer Worldshad comparisons to theFalloutseries, due to the creators ofNew Vegasworking on it, but the game isn’t as big as a Bethesda title.Avowedwill likely be in the same boat with its map size.
Elder Scrollstitles have always had massive maps, withDaggerfallbeing the size of Great Britain, but it seemsAvowedwon’t be replicating this. Bethesda games are also known for their openness as well, with players able to go anywhere and do anything in an almost sandbox-like world, but this isn’t whatAvowedis going for either. Patel statedthat it’s important forAvowedto have a"more focused experience, something that feels a little more curated"and mentions the importance of constraints to maintain good pacing. Obsidian clearly cares about telling a story withAvowed.
Daggerfall’s map was made to be lore-accurate in size and is approximately 161,600 kilometers sq.
It seems that, due to the heavier story focus and wanting to make a more curated experience,Avowedwill lack the grand, sprawling nature of the likes ofSkyrim,and probably won’t have that game’s never-ending longevity. It will not beElder Scrolls 6, nor will it feel like anElder Scrollsspin off, similar toNew Vegasin theFalloutseries. Many might think of it in this regard, considering that Obsidian madeNew Vegas, but the developer is set on going on its own path away from Bethesda’s RPG model.
Avowed Is More Like Fantasy Outer Worlds Than An Elder Scrolls Clone
Obsidian Is Trying To Use Its Own RPG Model
Throughout the interview with PCGamesN,Patel mentionedTheOuter Worlds,referencing its structure as whatAvowedwas going to emulate. It was mentioned thatAvowedwould not matchThe Outer Worlds’tone, and it is reasonable to believe thatAvowedwill have asimilar tone to Pillars of Eternityinstead, given that both are set in the world of Eora. Still, players ofThe Outer Worldswill have a better idea of what to expect than the ever loyalSkyrimplayers, and while Obsidian can’t escape the comparisons to Bethesda, it wants to use its own RPG models.
Avoweduses Unreal Engine 5 and likely won’t have the modding capabilities of Bethesda’s Creation Engine.
Ironically, this is somewhat similar to what Bethesda has done with its RPGs, as they all share a similar structure and model, albeit with evolution over time. With Obsidian making a sequel toThe Outer Worlds,it seems that the developer believes it has a winning formula and will stick to it withAvowedas well, likely meaning that the hopes of Obsidian making a sprawling, massive game likeSkyrimprobably won’t be on the cards for a while. The studio has its hands full and seems to be benefiting from the extra budget under Microsoft.
All Avowed Edition Differences, Prices, & What’s Included
Avowed has three different editions to offer potential players, with one of them being a huge boon for how modern gaming has changed game releases.
That being said, Patel did mention that there is"an appetite for games that are big sprawling RPGs with a ton of openness"and even if Obsidian isn’t making a game to feed this appetite, it will likely benefit from those looking for these types of RPGs. They are rare now, andit feels like the lack of a completely open game likeSkyrimis the reason why people still play it. The structured approach seems to be more common now, with even something asbig asBaldur’s Gate 3being splitinto three, distinct acts.
Avowed Smaller Size Could Be A Blessing Or A Curse
But It Won’t Make It Able To Replace The Elder Scrolls
Smaller games do have plenty of benefits compared to their monolithic competition, and it isn’t as thoughAvowedwill be a short game by any means. One benefit will be the game’s performance and size on a hard drive,sinceAvowedwill be 75GB, which is reasonably small for a big budget RPG nowadays. Compare this toStarfieldorBaldur’s Gate 3, which are both well over 100GB, and the 75GBAvowedis asking for seems like a dream, especially for those with slow internet. Games are taking up more space, and it’s nice to seeAvowedavoid this trap.
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The map will likely be denser too, getting rid of the realistic but sometimes bland empty spaces between locations. It will allowAvowedmore time to focus on its story telling and moral decisions, something Obsidian writers are famous for, but the downside of this could be longevity. If it isn’t appealing toThe Elder Scrollscrowd as an alternative, it probably won’t enjoy the longevity and replayability of something likeSkyrim, as its openness (and modding community) have kept it alive for well over a decade.
WhetherAvowedends up being as good as its potential suggests, it won’t be the game thatElder Scrollsfans have been waiting for since the 2018ES6trailer dropped. Although it could scratch the itch a little, due to being a first-person fantasy RPG, it won’t fill the hole Bethesda has made by not making a sequel to the ever-enduringSkyrim. Fans will have to wait even longer for an RPG as open and sprawling asSkyrimagain, andwhileAvowedlooked like it brought hope, it isn’t Obsidian’s answer toThe Elder Scrolls.It is its own thing.
