Reputable insider claims Xbox RPG Avowed launches next year

Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed was unveiled in 2021 as a massive new RPG from Xbox. Insider Jez Corden from Windows Central has now suggested the upcoming first-person RPG in 2023.

Starring in a recent World of Gaming podcast on Boxenberger's YouTube, he was asked about his thoughts on the highly anticipated game set in the Pillars of the Eternity Universe.

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Avowed gets new details

He addressed a few facts about the game from a nearly-year-old build. As mentioned, it is a brand new entry in the Pillars series and takes place in Eora's northern region of The Living Lands - which is described as a forested area, or at least a part of it.

Regarding the development side of things, Corden said that the team consisted of around 120 people at the start, so it likely has increased as production ramped up. However, the game's scope is expected to at least be in line with the studio's previous multiplatform RPG, The Outer Worlds.

Speaking of 2019's acclaimed sci-fi RPG, the visuals of Avowed are said to be similar from a stylistic point of view but with added realism. The gameplay is first-person and real-time as promised and heavily indulges in the Pillars lore, with many of the same spells and enemy types.

Combat is described as "dynamic" and a step up from anything the studio has done before. Battles seem to have more oomph than The Outer Worlds, with a good focus on animation and physics as powerful melee attacks can send enemies flying.

Much of the combat-centric footage Corden saw featured different builds, like a stealthy, dagger-wielding assassin or arrow-raining ranger. The depth on display seemed to take a page from Larian Studio's Divinity: Original Sin games, like fire torches to burn down wooden doors and obstacles. Corden likened Avowed to Elder Scrolls (more specifically Skyrim) like The Outer Worlds was to Fallout.

Tackling the status of the game, he added:

“I expect we’ll see footage of that game this year because like I said, last year, it looked pretty damn ready. There were some things that weren’t implemented… there were some effects that weren’t implemented, some textures that weren’t implemented."

"There was some lighting that clearly wasn’t finished or ready to go. But it looked – the gameplay looked solid. It looked playable and ready to go… and I think we’ll probably see the game revealed this year and then maybe like a launch…maybe like Q1/Q2 2023, maybe?”

However, he also warned fans to temper their expectations in the face of something even grander like Bethesda's Starfield. But fans of Obsidian's previous outings, and especially the Pillars games, should keep an eye out for Avowed.

Avowed will be released for PC and Xbox Series X|S. It will also arrive on day one on Xbox Game Pass.