Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed: A Development Story Marked by a Dramatic Reboot

In a recent Bloomberg interview, Avowed's second game director, Carrie Patel, revealed the tumultuous journey behind the game's creation, including the discarding of two years of initial development. Obsidian's original vision for Avowed aimed to blend the open-world exploration of Skyrim with the cooperative gameplay of Destiny, incorporating significant multiplayer elements.

The 2020 teaser trailer, while generating considerable fan enthusiasm, belied the game's actual state of incompletion. A decision was made to completely overhaul the project just months later, rendering the trailer a historical artifact representing a vastly different, unreleased prototype.

Patel then took the helm as game director, reimagining Avowed. She steered the project away from the Skyrim and Destiny influences, abandoning the open-world design and multiplayer features. Instead, Obsidian returned to its roots, utilizing its signature zone-based structure and focusing on a single-player narrative deeply entrenched in the Pillars of Eternity universe.

This mid-development restart presented monumental obstacles, comparable to filmmaking without a script. Teams navigated uncertainty as leadership solidified a unified vision. Despite these setbacks, development continued for another four years before Avowed's eventual release.