Xbox exclusive Avowed is reportedly Obsidian’s take on Skyrim

Details have emerged about Obsidian’s Xbox exclusive Avowed, and it sounds a lot like The Outer Worlds mixed with Skyrim. 

According to a new report by Windows Central, Avowed, which is Obsidian’s first-person RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, is currently still in pre-production but it’s moving more towards a playable alpha state so we could potentially be seeing gameplay soon. 

When we do get another glimpse at Avowed, which hopefully won’t just be another pre-rendered CGI trailer, we should be seeing “action-oriented first-person combat and deep RPG exploration and narrative systems,” according to Windows Central, since it’s running on a “similar, albeit enhanced engine” of the Outer Worlds engine. 

Reportedly, this engine will have been spiced up to borrow Skyrim’s two-handed combat system, which will allow for multiple classes and playstyles. This will let you have Pillars of Eternity magic in one hand and another weapon in the other or, alternately, you can have a two-handed weapon such as a big ol’ sword or a bow for the coveted stealth archer build. 

Despite comparisons to The Elder Scrolls series, Avowed will reportedly be a lot more colourful, being more reminiscent of The Outer Worlds with bioluminescent mushrooms, verdant forests and flora, as well as “hulking sunlit temples,” which sound like a blast to explore. 

With Windows Central having only seen a pre-alpha build of the game, it’s likely that Avowed is still a long way off, so don’t expect a release date until the tail end of next year, or more likely 2023. 

When Avowed does launch, the game is going to be exclusive to Microsoft’s domain, so expect to only see it on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC.