Avowed's director hints at exciting plans for the franchise following the game's successful release. Dive in to discover the potential for expansions or sequels, and explore other initiatives from the company.
Avowed Director Wants To Do More With The World They Built
Possibility of Expansions or Sequels
Avowed's launch has been a triumph, with both Microsoft and Obsidian expressing satisfaction with the sales figures. In an insightful interview with Bloomberg on February 22, 2025, Avowed Game Director Carrie Patel discussed the potential for expanding the game's universe. While Obsidian has yet to announce official plans, Patel's passion for the project is evident. She expressed a keen interest in developing future expansions and a sequel, saying, "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."
Changes in Avowed During Development
The journey to create Avowed was filled with challenges and significant shifts. Patel described the development process as "messy," yet ultimately rewarding. The project kicked off in 2018 amidst Obsidian's efforts to navigate the complexities of being an independent studio. Following Microsoft's acquisition in 2020 and the game's announcement, the team had to make tough decisions, including scrapping multiplayer elements and other features. A pivotal change occurred in January 2021 when the project leadership was reshuffled, and the game was rebooted under Patel's direction.
Managing a team of over 80 people during this reevaluation was no small feat. Patel emphasized the importance of focusing on the narrative and lore rooted in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, opting for open zones over an expansive open world. Reflecting on the chaotic yet fruitful development, she 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."
Obsidian Wants Pillars of Eternity Tactics
With Avowed bringing the Pillars of Eternity franchise back into the spotlight, Obsidian is exploring new avenues within this universe. During a Twitch livestream on February 23, 2025, Josh Sawyer, director of Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, shared the studio's interest in developing a tactics game titled Pillars: Tactics.
Sawyer highlighted the widespread interest in tactics games both within the studio and among fans, stating, "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." However, he acknowledged the challenges in determining the project's scope, including team size, visual quality, and scale. The success of Avowed has reignited discussions about this potential project.
Despite this, Sawyer remains committed to his vision for Pillars of Eternity 3, aiming for a significantly larger budget akin to that of Baldur’s Gate 3, which is a stark contrast to the budget of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire.
Avowed is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC. To stay updated with the latest news on Avowed, be sure to check out our article below!
