A recent Bloomberg interview with Obsidian Entertainment revealed that the studio is shelving The Outer Worlds indefinitely, but will continue to create games in the “Avowed universe.”
This came as a surprise to some, as while both Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 underperformed commercially, the original Outer Worlds was a commercial success for Obsidian. In other words, people believe that The Outer Worlds has a higher ceiling despite The Outer Worlds 2 being a failure in the eyes of Xbox Game Studios.
Regardless, Obsidian plans to continue to explore Eora — the setting of Pillars of Eternity and Avowed. The studio clearly feels that first-person action RPGs have more commercial potential than isometric CRPGs, which is why Avowed was conceptualised in the first place.
Pillars of Eternity 3 Waiting Room
However, a thread on the Avowed subreddit regarding the Bloomberg article suggests that quite a few players would rather see Pillars of Eternity 3 than Avowed 2.
“They said Avowed universe, so that could mean Avowed 2 AND Pillars of Eternity 3,” writes the optimistic Cursed_69420. “I’m not gonna lie, ‘Avowed Universe’ hurts me a little inside, and I loved the game,” replies Kami-no-baka, distraught that Avowed is now the descriptor for Eora.
“If by more games in the ‘Avowed universe’ they mean Pillars of Eternity 3, then hell yeah! Otherwise, I’m not interested in Avowed 2,” writes PhantasmalLore-420.
Plenty of commenters are also happy to see anything in the universe, be that Avowed or Pillars of Eternity. Unfortunately for fans of the latter, Pillars of Eternity director Josh Sawyer doesn’t seem too interested in going down that route unless Xbox Game Studios allocates the game a budget similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, which is rumoured to have cost Larian around $100 million to develop.
This is because Pillars of Eternity 3 would likely have to be a modern take on the CRPG genre, which means full 3D models, motion capture and dynamic camera work.
Pillars Of Eternity Fans Think A Third Game Is Unlikely After Avowed
Avowed could be the future of Eora.
Microsoft, and by extension Xbox Game Studios, now has lofty profit goals for each of its subsidiaries. With that in mind, it seems unlikely that Xbox will greenlight Pillars of Eternity 3, given the amount of legwork required to develop the appropriate tools needed for a modern CRPG.
In all likelihood, Avowed 2 will be Obsidian’s only project set in Eora, much to the disappointment of the CRPG faithful.
Avowed
3.0/5
- Released
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February 18, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
