Avowed's director hints at the team’s plans for the franchise following the game's successful release. Dive into the details to discover more about the potential for an expansion or sequel, and explore other future endeavors from the company.
Avowed Director Wants To Do More With The World They've Built
Possibility of Expansions or Sequels
The release of Avowed has proven successful, with both Microsoft and Obsidian expressing satisfaction with its sales figures. In an interview with Bloomberg on February 22, 2025, Avowed Game Director Carrie Patel discussed the potential for further development of the franchise, hinting at possible expansions or sequels.
While Obsidian has yet to officially announce any plans, Patel expressed a keen interest in continuing to direct games and explore new projects. She emphasized her desire to expand on the world they've created, stating, "Now that we've built this wonderful world, and also built this team's strength and muscle memory around the content and gameplay in this world, I’d love to see us do more with it."
Changes in Avowed During Development
The development of Avowed was not without its challenges and transformations. Patel described the process as messy but ultimately rewarding. The project, which began in 2018, faced significant hurdles as Obsidian navigated its acquisition by Microsoft, announced in 2020. The team had to make tough decisions, including cutting several planned features and the multiplayer aspect. A pivotal change occurred in January 2021 when the project's leadership was revamped, and the game was rebooted.
Under Patel's leadership, managing a team of over 80 people was a significant challenge. She explained, "Normally if you're stepping back and reevaluating your creative direction, putting together a new vertical slice and revised production plans, you would do that with a very small team." The focus shifted to enhancing the story and lore from the Pillars of Eternity franchise, and the game transitioned from an open world to open zones, which allowed for more detailed and immersive environments.
Reflecting on the development journey, Patel noted, "There’s this interesting thing I’ve seen on every project I’ve worked on or seen during my time at the studio — things are messy, messy, messy, then they start coming together."
Obsidian Wants Pillars of Eternity Tactics
With the resurgence of the Pillars of Eternity franchise through Avowed, Obsidian is now eyeing a new project: Pillars of Eternity Tactics. During a Twitch Livestream on February 23, 2025, Josh Sawyer, the director of Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, revealed the studio's interest in developing a tactics game for the franchise.
Sawyer commented, "Pillars: Tactics is a thing that a lot of people would like, a lot of people at the studio would like to work on; there are a lot of people who like tactics games." However, he acknowledged the challenges, stating, "The difficulty is figuring out the scope of it, in terms of 'how many people' and 'what sort of visual quality are we going for' and 'how big is it?'". While interest in a tactics game has been noted before, Avowed's success may provide the momentum needed to bring this project to life.
Despite this, Sawyer remains committed to his vision of creating Pillars of Eternity 3, aiming for a budget comparable to that of Baldur's Gate 3, which is significantly larger than the budget for Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire.
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