It's hard to get an impression of a game when it is only briefly shown, but sometimes, a little is all that's needed. The Elder Scrolls 6, for example, showed a landscape and has fueled speculation for months. Microsoft pulled a similar trick with the new Fable at the Xbox Series X event, but if there's one thing the event was not short on, it's fantasy RPGs. Obsidian Entertainment, renown for its work on Fallout New Vegas, Kotor 2, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and far more, announced its next epic fanasy RPG with Avowed.
Avowed was only shown briefly, as Obsidian Entertainment also has the Perils of Gorgon DLC for The Outer Worlds in the work, as well as its ant-scale survival game, Grounded. Avowed is probably a couple of years from release, but it's impossible to say Microsoft hasn't been good to the developer. After all, it screamed Skyrim in a trailer lasting just over 1 minue.
Avowed: Trailer, Platforms, Setting
There are only a handful of things confirmed by the trailer or the developer thus far. Interestingly enough, the game is set in the world of Eora, a place Pillars of Eternity fans may realize is the same setting as it. This means that a few areas may be familiar to players when it launches, but at the same time, it could be set somewhere else within Eora, could be years before or after, or any number of things. There's simply a ton of choices for Avowed.
It is going to launch on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, which means it's not technically a "true" Xbox Series X exclusive. With that in mind, it seems like the release date aim is definitely just a couple of years before Series X becomes the sole platform of development. Either way, Avowed looks absolutely stunning here. The trailer opens showing a wartorn landscape, a castle with archers launching a volley of flaming arrows, and a strong opening dialogue. War forged this empire, turning heroes into queens and kings, and beckoning back to the days of yore (at least in RPGs any way).
Yet turmoil seems to set in, as the Avowed narrator describes the empire's oaths as "lost" and "forsaken," with the main playable character having to face the monsters "our sins have born." This sees the character activate some type of magic, forming a rune that envelopes their left arm while wielding a sword in the right. The monster is just teased, as the game fades to black with the narrator ending on a cryptic line: "is an Oath worth the weigh of a crown?"
Avowed Vs. Skyrim
It's a lot packed into a little, but deconstructing it shows how this game looks like and could very well be the next Skyrim. The most obvious connection seems to be the gameplay. In Skyrim, players can equip spells or weapons to certain hands, mixing and matching gameplay styles. It remains to be seen how extensive Avowed is, but in the trailer, it's clear the NPC is wielding both magic and a sword.
The very premise that this is touted as the next big Obsidian RPG suggests a scope bigger than The Outer Worlds, as well. The Outer Worlds is the company's latest RPG, one many note is on the shorter end of contemporary RPGs, but one that also hits home with a nice, simple, and pseudo-ridiculous ride. With that in mind, it seems that Avowed will likely be bigger. That doesn't necessarily means as open and wide as Skyrim, but it's certainly possible the game features a scope up there in RPGs.
Furthermore, the trailer puts a bigger emphasis on the politics of the realm. The wartorn landscape is a basic premise of a ton of RPGs, but one that it still shares with Skyrim. The emphasis on the Oath and the Crown seem to suggest that an Oath is something magical, perhaps a hero's quest to accomplish something. Again, a basic premise but one also very evident in Skyrim, and the idea of inheriting a crown also relates to the politics of Skyrim.
Why This Comparison Matter Most
It's easy to see Skyrim DNA in even the smallest of RPGs, so the big question becomes why does Avowed matter so much in terms of these small, basic comparisons? The answer is simple: competition. Obsidian and Bethesda worked together back in the day and have come to form a type of rivalry, even if it's only in the eyes of fans. Obsidian is known for its RPGs, and many consider New Vegas better than other Bethesda Fallout games.
In fact, The Outer Worlds and Fallout 76 came to a head with comparisons of their own, with fans even thinking a remark about Fallout creators made it one of the former's trailer was shot at Bethesda. Now, it's easy to see The Outer Worlds as Obisidian's new Fallout-esque franchise, which will hopefully eventually expand with The Outer Worlds 2. Microsoft's backing has done big things for the studio so far, and it's hard to see it not happening down the road. But if The Outer Worlds is an answer to Fallout, then Avowed is its answer to Bethesda's Elder Scrolls.
There's no doubt that anticipation is high for The Elder Scrolls 6, first announced 2 years ago but years from seeing the light of day. Many speculate it won't even release until 2024 or 2025, and that seems like a reasonable expectation so far. In other words, while fans are looking for RPGs to play before then, The Outer Worlds and potentially even Avowed (which has no release date yet but could easily come before it) can be played for fans to bide their time. There's plenty more out there, sure, but those that scratch this particular itch are far and few between.
Avowed is in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.