Obsidian, developer of Fallout New Vegas, Grounded, and Pentiment, has responded to a question about continued comparisons between its upcoming game, Avowed, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. pointing to another of his previous games: The Outer Worlds.
In an interview with Game Informer, game director Carrie Patel was asked if Obsidian accepts comparisons to Skyrim or rejects them. Patel did not mention Bethesda’s fantasy RPG and suggested fans They will think about the science fiction RPG The Outer Worlds.
“I think the best comparison is The Outer Worlds,” Patel insisted. “I think it gives a much clearer idea of the scope of the game and also the design and layout. Like The Outer Worlds, Avowed has a series of open areas that connect and unlock throughout the game, rather than one giant map that you can traverse from start to finish. And yes, regarding the structure of the missions and the narrative, It also looks a lot more like The Outer Worlds“.
This agrees with previous comments from Obsidian staff about Avowed, which takes place in the same universe as the fantasy role-playing game Pillars of Eternity. In June 2023, Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart told PC Gamer that the studio’s initial idea was that Avowed out a larger open world fantasy RPG and extensive like Skyrim, but in the end it turned out to be smaller in scale.
However, you can understand why some would compare Avowed to Skyrim. Avowed is a first-person fantasy RPG (although it can also be played in third person) with monsters and lots of magical combat. At first sight, has similar melee and magical combat, with the character wielding weapons and spells. There are also dialogue options, although you will not have romance with companions.
In the same Game Informer interview, gameplay director Gabe Paramo directly answered the question about the comparison to Skyrim, saying, “My take on it is that I don’t love it.”
“I’d rather we just explain what our game does.”
Paramo continued: “Even as I’ve learned in my role, comparing two games, even for the team – let’s forget about the player for a second – even for the team it’s hard to say, ‘Use this like this.’ You have to break down the mechanics more., because people will figure out what mechanics they think you’re talking about. Without that, if you are not very clear about what specifically it is, are you trying to get inspiration from another game“.
“Personally, I don’t love it because a lot of players can take whatever they want from those games and say, ‘It’s going to have this and this and this.’ I prefer that we better explain what our game does“.
Earlier this month, Obsidian seemingly accidentally revealed the release date for Avowed in a hastily edited post on the developer’s website: November 12, 2024. Obsidian, now owned by Microsoft, will be present at gamescom in August to showcase Avowed at the Xbox booth.
