Avowed, the highly anticipated fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, set to release on February 18th, promises to offer players a rich and immersive experience within the Pillars of Eternity universe. The creators of Fallout: New Vegas are designing a world that focuses on meaningful decisions that will influence the game’s narrative, an aspect that fans have been eagerly awaiting. The reason for not having an open world: the narrative component In a recent interview with Xbox Wire, Obsidian explained that Avowed will not be an open-world game. Instead, the map will […]
Avowed, the highly anticipated fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment releasing on February 18th, promises to offer players a rich and immersive experience within the Pillars of Eternity universe. The creators of Fallout: New Vegas are designing a world that focuses on meaningful decisions that will influence the game’s narrative, an aspect that fans have been eagerly awaiting.
The reason for no open world: the narrative component
In a recent interview with Xbox Wire, Obsidian explained that Avowed will not be an open-world game. Instead, the map will be divided into zones densely populated with content, similar to the model used in The Outer Worlds. Kate Dollarhye, the narrative designer, emphasized that this structure aims to improve the pacing of the story, allowing developers more detailed control over mission progression. “Pacing is really complicated in open-world games, as it’s difficult to know where the player is at any given time,” commented Dollarhye.
Berto Ritger, director of regions of Avowed, also emphasized that this organization in sequential zones helps maintain the game’s pace, ensuring that the protagonists always know which side missions they have completed before advancing in the main narrative. Although the areas are extensive and allow freedom in exploration, they do not extend as a continuous world, which could hinder narrative cohesion.
Even more, Obsidian ensures that the combat in Avowed is deep and complex, incorporating elements that will keep players on their toes. According to recent statements, “there are unknown elements… and a little bit of danger,” hinting that the promised experience will be more than just a simple journey through a fantasy landscape. Without a doubt, Avowed is shaping up to be a solid alternative to iconic titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, offering a narrative supported by meaningful decisions and an engaging combat system.
Microsoft has announced its first major event of the year, the Xbox Developer Direct 2025, which will take place on January 23 at 10 AM PT, which is 7 PM in mainland Spain. This showcase will be broadcast through the official Xbox and Bethesda channels on YouTube, offering fans a unique opportunity to see the latest developments in the company’s gaming landscape. Among the titles expected in the presentation are Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. These games […]
Microsoft has announced its first major event of the year, the Xbox Developer Direct 2025, which will take place on January 23 at 10 AM PT, which is 7 PM in mainland Spain. This showcase will be broadcast through the official Xbox and Bethesda channels on YouTube, offering fans a unique opportunity to see the latest developments in the company’s gaming landscape.
Among the titles expected in the presentation are Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. These games will be showcased with gameplay and developer commentary, promising a deeper insight into what they will offer. Additionally, the presence of a mysterious fourth game has been confirmed, rumored to be a new installment of a “legendary” Japanese franchise, generating excitement among video game fans. And if the rumors are to be believed, it seems that Ryu Hayabusha’s return this year will be twofold.
On the other hand, rumors also point to the possible remastering of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Although this information has not been confirmed, a release date for May has been leaked, which could undoubtedly be one of the major announcements of the event. The gaming community eagerly awaits additional details about this title during the presentation.
What We Know for Sure: Avowed is Almost Here
Regarding future releases, it has been revealed that the anticipated game Avowed will be released on February 14 for PC and Xbox Series X|S. This title, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, promises to attract fans with its rich narrative and RPG elements that players of Pillars of Eternity have come to love. Recently, the company also released a series of animated videos on YouTube to refresh the story of Pillars of Eternity, which could be indicative of the momentum they have towards the world of Avowed.
Thinking about 2025 might seem premature. 2024 hasn’t ended yet. Not all the big games of this year have been released. At least one is still missing. But there’s something we need to start talking about now. There’s an elephant in the room. And that is, when February arrives, we’re going to have a problem for our wallets and our leisure time. Perhaps also for our non-leisure time. Because February is so packed with major releases that it’s impossible for some video games not to end up at a disadvantage. What do we mean by this? That it doesn’t matter which week […]
Thinking about 2025 may seem premature; 2024 hasn’t ended yet, and not all the big games of this year have been released. The elephant in the room is that when February arrives, we’re going to have problems with both our wallets and our leisure time. February will be so packed with major releases that it’s impossible for some video games not to be negatively affected.
What do we mean by this? That it doesn’t matter which week of February we look at: in all of them, there are at least two major releases. In some cases, there are three or four overlapping. And why is this bad? Because at a certain point, you have decisions to make—what to play, and what to buy… and what not to buy.
Let’s go week by week. Let’s study what happens this February to understand why it is so dramatic.
First week of February
The big release this week is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. This realease recently moved up a week to avoid competing with other heavyweights, so its situation has improved. But to what extent? Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is released on February 4th, making it the first game of February, but it faces competition from the last games of January, which we are going to include in this same week.
Why? Because they are Sniper Elite: Resistance and Spider-Man 2. The first might be more of a niche game, but the PC release of Spider-Man 2 is a major launch. This may weigh down part of the audience for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. To the point of affecting its sales? We don’t think so, but for the beginning of the month, we already have three major games. And things are just getting started.
Second week of February
This is where the terror begins. Two heavyweights shake hands in the form of Civilization VII and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. These are so heavy that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II decided to move its release forward by a week. With Civilization VII scheduled for release on the 11th and Assassin’s Creed Shadows on the 14th, it will be a very busy week. Because—you guessed it—they are not the only games coming out that week.
JRPG fans will have the highly anticipated The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II. Nostalgic fans of platformers will enjoy Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered. And fans of Ace Attorney-style games should not lose track of Urban Myth Dissolution Center. Closing a strong week.
Third week of February
If you are a fan of action games with a strong narrative weight, you’re in luck. Because the two big releases of the week, with three days apart, are exactly that. Avowed is released on the 18th, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii comes out on the 21st. And in between, perhaps out of respect for this battle at the top, no one has intervened, either knowing it’s better not to get in the way or out of fear of what’s at the end of the month.
Fourth week of February
Monster Hunter Wilds. February 28. No one has dared to release anything around the new Capcom title. Its last two iterations have been a hit both in the East and the West. In Japan, it has been a colossal success for two decades, and no Japanese studio would even think of competing against it. Except, apparently, Konami, which on the 27th releases its notable collection of portable Yu-Gi-Oh! games named Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. But Konami is Konami. And Capcom is Capcom. And if anything is clear, it’s that Monster Hunter Wilds is going to sell like hotcakes.
And that’s all?
This is not all. We have not listed all the games that are released exclusively on Steam here. The games that may be launched by surprise. These are the games we do not expect, but that can make a big splash. We have stuck to what we know for sure and have come up with a list that could cause nightmares for a good marketing department (or very happy dreams, depending on which side you are on).
That’s why, get ready for February. Because if you think the January slope is tough, get ready to discover the March slope of this year.
Avowed podría haber visto filtrada su fecha de lanzamiento, entendemos que por un cambio de última hora en el Xbox Showcase que no se vio en la web
Game designer Obsidian is always a safe bet. They may not make the biggest games, the AAA titles that get all the headlines, but their games are always synonymous with quality, innovation, and imaginative narratives. That’s why every new game they release is cause for celebration for those of us who love video games. It appears the studio’s new game will arrive before the end of the year, even if the official release date has not been revealed yet.
Obsidian’s next game is called Avowed and will take place in Eora, the same world found in their role-playing game series Pillars of Eternity. One important difference from those games is this one will be a first-person action RPG, not a third-person RPG. With clear similarities to games like The Elder Scrolls or Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, it promises a deep story, an interesting world to explore, and numerous ways to approach combat and each mission you encounter.
While we already knew much about the game, what we didn’t know was its release date. But per comment by Wario64, the official Obsidian website has confirmed the game will be released later this year on November 12th. But there’s a small twist. Wario64 later added that Obsidian removed the November release date after his initial post.
Given that last Sunday, June 9th, was the Xbox Showcase, and Avowed didn’t appear (and before that, we didn’t have a release date for the game), it seems the November release date was some kind of accidental leak. One reason this might’ve happened is because Avowed was supposed to appear in the Showcase but, for some reason, did not. So, maybe someone just forgot to remove the automatic update from the website.
At any rate, if they posted a specific release date on their website, that means we should know more about the game soon. And though the Xbox Showcase just occurred, that doesn’t mean they can’t release a trailer or make an announcement without additional media support. After all, we’re talking about Obsidian. They’re probably the most prestigious studio under Microsoft’s wing today. And although November 12th is still far away, it’s good to know that Avowed is already on the horizon.
We bring you a summary of everything we saw at the Xbox Developer Direct 2024, which has presented what we should expect from Xbox this year.
Although it is not the biggest event of the year for the company, the Xbox Developer’s Direct 2024 is an important date for the company. They establish a roadmap, give developers a chance to speak, and show the inner workings of what they are working on and what will be released in the near future. That’s why we bring you a summary of everything we saw during this conference. Because there was a lot to unpack, well condensed, and with a lot of interest.
Bethesda took up a good part of the show. On one hand, Obsidian Entertainment showed more of Avowed, which showed us the depth and dynamism of both its combat and moral choices. Something that reminded us of a combination of Arx Fatalis and Fallout New Vegas, which will be available in autumn on PC and Xbox Series S and X. Towards the end of the conference, Machine Games came out to show us Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. For many, the highlight of the conference, we break it down in depth in its own article, but we are left with two key aspects: Harrison Ford puts the face of Indiana Jones and it is a first-person game where it is important to stop and think before acting. A very Indy approach that will arrive in 2024.
Another one of the games that were shown was the new title from Oxide Games, Ara: History Untold. A 4X strategy game, in the style of Civilization, created by veterans from Firaxis Games who have worked on games like Civilization V. This is their second game after the space-themed RTS Ashes of the Singularity, and the uniqueness of this Ara is that, although it takes the foundations of Civilization, there are no turns here: the players’ actions all happen at the same time. And predicting the movements of our rivals will be crucial to achieve victory, that is, in autumn.
In this conference, fortunately, there was also room for surprises. This was the appearance of Visions of Mana, which will not only be released in the summer of 2024, but will also be the first time that a title from the franchise is released on an Xbox console. Showing movement within the open world, the new mount, and the dynamic music system, the game was a nod to JRPG fans who are unlikely to be dissatisfied with the result.
