Avowed Was Originally Designed as a Blend of Destiny and Skyrim

Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed: A Development Odyssey

Bloomberg recently interviewed Carrie Patel, Avowed's second game director, revealing a tumultuous development journey involving the complete overhaul of two years' worth of work. Initially, Obsidian envisioned Avowed as a blend of Destiny and Skyrim, aiming for a massive open world with cooperative and multiplayer elements.

The 2020 teaser trailer, while exciting for fans, masked the game's far-from-finished state. A decision was made to scrap the project entirely and begin again. The trailer now serves as a testament to a discarded prototype, vastly different from the final release.

Patel, taking the reins as director after the reboot, steered Avowed in a new direction. She moved away from the Skyrim and Destiny influences, abandoning the open-world design and multiplayer features. Instead, Obsidian opted for its characteristic zone-based structure, focusing on a rich single-player narrative deeply rooted in the Pillars of Eternity universe.

This mid-development restart presented monumental challenges, likened to filmmaking without a script. Teams navigated uncertainty as the leadership solidified a unified vision. Despite these setbacks, development continued for another four years before Avowed's eventual launch.