Avowed Gets First Gameplay Deep Dive at Xbox Developer Direct, Fall 2024 Release Window

Don't worry, you don't need to know anything about Obsidian's massive CRPGs before you dive headlong into Avowed.

Obsidian Entertainment is hammering away at its fantasy-with-firearms roleplaying game Avowed, due this year, which the developers hope can surpass the "black-and-white" moral binary.

Obsidian has confirmed that Avowed won't feature a traditional approval mechanic for its companions, meaning they won't abandon you if make the wrong decision. Sadly, it also seems to suggest that romances won't be a thing, either.

The best-selling game of 2023, Hogwarts Legacy, has sold over 24 million units to date. The news came from Variety, which also outlined the ambitious plan Warner Bros. Discovery has for growth in the gaming space. The company values Harry Potter (the IP behind Hogwarts Legacy), Mortal Kombat (which has sold three million units since its debut last September), DC, and Game of Thrones franchises $1 billion each for their gaming potential, and it plans to capitalize on them all.

HITMAN maker IO Interactive has lofty aims when it comes to the quality of gameplay animation they want to achieve in Project 007. The game developer is hiring animators, and the studio's Twitter account has shared a few statements from members of the Animation team to intrigue would-be candidates. Joshua Andrew Gleaves, Senior Gameplay Animator, said:

Following the huge layoffs (over 1,900 employees) announced yesterday by Microsoft across teams at Blizzard and Xbox, it was also revealed that Blizzard's survival game Odyssey had been canceled.

Game developer People Can Fly has laid off around thirty developers from an unannounced Square Enix game codenamed Project Gemini. The news was broken yesterday by Kotaku, which obtained an email sent by Development Director Adam Alker to his fellow employees. Alker chalked the layoffs to budget limitations and a decision to shrink the game's scope.

Excitement for Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming action-RPG Avowed has no doubt ramped up since it was shown off at Developer Direct. Since then, some extended footage has been doing the rounds, with an in-depth discussion about the game from its two directors.

The Chinese Room has published a new Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer diary where Creative Director Alex Skidmore discussed the game's visceral and immersive combat system.

Today, Resolution Games and Wizards of the Coast announced a collaboration on the world's first D&D virtual reality game, now in production for a future release.

Obsidian Entertainment gave fans a closer look at Avowed during last week’s Xbox Direct, showcasing combat, exploration, dialogue and more during the presentation.

Yesterday, the New York Videogame Critics Circle (NYVGCC) announced the winners of the 13th annual New York Game Awards in a dedicated ceremony streamed live from the SVA Theatre, with Baldur's Gate 3 once again emerging as the big winner.