The director of Avowed has hinted at exciting plans for the franchise following the game's successful launch. Dive into the details about potential expansions or sequels and other future projects from the studio.
Avowed has achieved impressive sales figures, pleasing both Microsoft and Obsidian. In a recent interview with Bloomberg on February 22, 2025, Avowed Game Director Carrie Patel discussed the potential for expanding the game's universe. While no official plans have been announced, Patel expressed a keen interest in further developing the world they've created. "Now that we’ve built this wonderful world, and also built this team strength and muscle memory around the content and gameplay in this world, I’d love to see us do more with it," she stated, hinting at possible expansions or a sequel.
The development journey of Avowed was fraught with challenges and significant changes. Patel described the process as "messy" but ultimately successful. Initially started in 2018, the project faced hurdles as Obsidian navigated the complexities of being an independent studio. The landscape shifted when Microsoft acquired Obsidian in 2020, leading to the announcement of Avowed. However, the team had to make tough decisions, including dropping multiplayer features and other functionalities. A leadership change in January 2021 prompted a reboot of the game under Patel's direction.
Managing a team of over 80 people during this reevaluation was challenging, but Patel's vision focused on enhancing the story and lore from the Pillars of Eternity franchise. The shift from an open world to open zones allowed for more detailed and immersive spaces. Reflecting on the development process, Patel noted, "There’s this interesting thing I’ve seen on every project I’ve worked on or seen during my time at the studio — things are messy, messy, messy, then they start coming together."
With Avowed bringing the Pillars of Eternity franchise back into the spotlight, Obsidian is exploring new avenues for the series. During a Twitch Livestream on February 23, 2025, Josh Sawyer, director of Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, revealed the studio's interest in developing a tactics game titled Pillars: Tactics. "Pillars: Tactics is a thing that a lot of people would like, a lot of people at the studio would like to work on; there are a lot of people who like tactics games," Sawyer explained. However, he acknowledged the challenges in determining the project's scope, including team size, visual quality, and overall scale.
Despite this interest in a tactics game, Sawyer remains committed to the idea of creating Pillars of Eternity 3, envisioning a budget comparable to that of Baldur’s Gate 3, which stands at $100 million—a significant leap from the budget of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire.
Avowed is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC. Stay updated with the latest news on Avowed by checking out our article below!