It's no surprise that, out of all the RPGs it has in development, Microsoft chose Starfield to lead its recent Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. Bethesda's name is in the title, after all, so it only makes sense to give Starfield top billing. It also helps that the likes of Fable and Avowed don't have clear release dates, unlike Starfield, which has a healthy early 2023 release window in its sights. Nevertheless, it would've been nice to see Avowed at the showcase, even though Obsidian Entertainment had plenty to discuss during the show. Avowed has eluded fans ever since it was announced, and updates are long overdue.

However, although Avowed itself didn't appear at the showcase, Obsidian's involvement may generally be good news for the fantasy RPG. Because Obsidian Entertainment confirmed that it will fully release two of its games by the end of this year, it seems likely that Avowed truly is drawing nearer. The studio has had a lot on its plate lately, but if two significant projects are essentially complete, then Obsidian is probably ready to start devoting more resources to Avowed. The Pillars of Eternity successor may have smoother sailing ahead of it once Obsidian's 2022 games are out of the way.

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Obsidian Entertainment's 2022 Games

murder mystery pentiment

During the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, Obsidian Entertainment confirmed that Grounded will properly release in 2022. Technically the game has been playable through early access since 2020, but the new release date suggests that Obsidian is happy with the game's state and ready to wrap up its core development. The studio definitely has a lot to be proud of; Grounded's various updates have added lots of new content to the backyard and made the game a more well-rounded survival experience. That said, Grounded has clearly been a major undertaking in the last few years, so it may have been something of a roadblock for Avowed.

Obsidian also intends to release Pentiment this year. Leaks in late 2021 suggested that Obsidian was working on a dialogue-driven adventure game called Pentiment, and the showcase proved that the rumors were true. It revealed that Pentiment is a medieval murder mystery game with a charming aesthetic inspired by the artwork found in real manuscripts and woodcuts from the Middle Ages. Pentiment, which is directed by Josh Sawyer of Fallout: New Vegas fame, seems like a smaller undertaking than Obsidian's other ongoing projects, but it surely diverted some resources away from Avowed nonetheless.

Avowed Has More Room to Breathe

avowed setting

Although the studio may have post-launch expansions in mind for Pentiment and Grounded, odds are good that Obsidian will free up talent, time, and funds once these games have released. Those resources can hopefully be funneled into Avowed in order to ensure its final months or years of development are as smooth as possible. While Grounded and Pentiment are remarkable projects, Obsidian is chiefly known for its ability to craft RPGs, and so it's under a lot of pressure to make Avowed excellent. These 2022 releases create a good opportunity to strengthen Avowed's development process and achieve maximum polish before it releases.

Avowed still has competition within Obsidian for attention, of course. The Outer Worlds 2 is also in development, but since Avowed was announced about a year before the Outer Worlds sequel, there's a good chance that Avowed will take priority for the time being. As long as Grounded and Pentiment don't need to get delayed, the end of 2022 should mean big things for Avowed, even if the game is still far from release. With the help of additional resources gained from these games, maybe Avowed can manage to release by the end of 2023 after all. Even with Bethesda's Starfield on the horizon, Xbox-using RPG fans would certainly love another Obsidian title.

Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Pentiment Looks Like Another Big Departure for Obsidian