The Game Awards 2023 saw some of the biggest game announcements and reveals take place, but one game fans were waiting to see failed to make an appearance: Avowed. The Xbox Game Studios title is among the most anticipated games of next year, but regrettably, we will not be playing it any time soon.
Yesterday on X, Xbox insider Klobrille posted a very detailed roadmap of Xbox Studios’ games since 2020. When a user speculated that Avowed might release in the first half of next year, Klobrille refuted the assumption, stating, “I can say with certainty that this will not happen.”
If we take Klobrille at their word, this means that the Obsidian Entertainment game will not be available to play until the fall of next year, at the earliest. This wouldn’t be surprising given the crowded schedule Xbox will have next year. Some of the Xbox games that have been confirmed for 2024 include Ara: History Untold, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Towerborne, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, and Avowed.
Taking a look at Obsidian’s history of game releases, it’s easy to deduce that the American developer favors the spring and fall seasons, with 12 titles released within these periods. Going by this trend and making the assumption that Klobrille is right, Avowed will likely arrive sometime between September and November.
Timing matters in the gaming industry, especially with The Game Awards in December. If Xbox can target a fall release, it would set the stage for Avowed to not only earn a nomination but potentially clinch the award for Best Role Playing Game. More importantly, releasing Avowed earlier in the year might offer a competitive edge to rivals of Xbox, something it will be hoping to avoid.
Set in the fictional world of Eora, which was previously introduced in the Pillars of Eternity series, Avowed is a first-person, single-player fantasy RPG. Players will step into the shoes of an envoy from the kingdom of Aedyr, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague on a far-off island known as the Living Lands.
In Aedyr, players will be able to create their own characters, choosing between the Human and Elf races, and engage in battles using a mix of swords, spells, guns, and shields. With a flexible combat system, you can freeze enemies, cast spells, make melee attacks, or use a combination of all three to dispatch foes.
Given all these elements, you’d think the gameplay trailer released during this year’s Xbox Games Showcase would be met with cheers. Sadly, that was not the case, as many players agreed that Avowed was disappointing in the graphics department. Fortunately, the developers have assured us that the gameplay trailer we saw does not represent the final product.
Starfield did not yield the outcome Xbox Game Studios expected, but there’s a chance that there were some painful lessons learned that can help make Avowed a game worthy of accolades.
