Obsidian Entertainment has been one of the industry's premiere RPG developers since its formation in 2003, producing high-quality games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and more. Obsidian was acquired by Microsoft some years back and is still producing well-reviewed and memorable gaming experiences to this day.
Obsidian managed to release two games in 2022: survival game Grounded and narrative-driven game Pentiment. Obsidian currently does not have any projects with firm 2023 release dates, but that doesn't mean fans of the studio's work have nothing to look forward to in the new year.
Here is what fans should be able to expect from Obsidian Entertainment in 2023.
Grounded Updates
Obsidian is best known for its single-player RPGs, so its co-op survival game Grounded was a pretty big risk for the studio. Luckily, Obsidian's gamble on Grounded has paid off, with the game enjoying a great deal of success since leaving early access earlier this year. Grounded, for the uninitiated, is basically Minecraft means Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, with players teaming up with friends to survive in a dangerous backyard environment.
Millions of people have played Grounded, and it's likely Obsidian will want to keep those players engaged for the long-term. It's not uncommon for survival games to continue receiving updates post-launch that add new content and address feedback, so fans can count on Grounded getting the same treatment. What exactly Grounded updates in 2023 will have in store remains to be seen, but fans will find out in the new year.
Avowed and Outer Worlds 2 News
Grounded updates are a virtual guarantee for 2023, but it's less clear if Obsidian will also have news to share about some of its other games that are in development. However, when one considers that first-person RPG Avowed was first announced all the way back in 2020, it seems highly likely that fans will be treated to an update of some kind in 2023.
Set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, Avowed seems to be Obsidian's answer to The Elder Scrolls. Very little has been shown of Avowed since its initial announcement, so fans are understandably hungry for more information. It would be surprising if 2023 came and went with no news on Avowed, so hopefully fans are treated to an update soon. There are rumors that an Xbox Games Showcase of some kind could be held in early 2023, and if those rumors are true, perhaps Avowed will make an appearance.
Avowed isn't the only game that Obsidian Entertainment has in the oven. It's also actively developing The Outer Worlds 2, the sequel to its popular sci-fi RPG that launched a few years ago. The Outer Worlds 2 is likely years away from release still, so fans may not want to hold their breath for any updates in 2023. However, the possibility remains that Outer Worlds 2 will be featured via a new trailer or something along those lines before the year is out.
New Obsidian Game Announcement
It's always possible that Obsidian will have a brand-new game announcement for fans in the new year. Obsidian is known for working on multiple projects at once, releasing the full version of Grounded and the narrative-driven game Pentiment within months of each other last year. While nothing has been announced, there is a distinct chance that Obsidian has some other smaller-scale project waiting in the wings that could be revealed in 2023, but fans should keep their expectations in check.