Though it hasn't been confirmed, gamers are confident that there will be a sequel to Obsidian Entertainment's The Outer Worlds. The first game was well-received by fans and critics, who praised its Fallout-like humor and action. With its good reception and sales that exceeded expectations, it feels inevitable that there will be a sequel. While it feels all-but-confirmed that a new Outer Worlds game will happen, it could take some time for Obsidian Entertainment to get there. The developer has proven its capacity in recent years to juggle multiple projects at a time, but a sequel befitting of the original Outer Worlds could take plenty of time and hard work.
The Outer Worlds featured several different endings, not unlike the Mass Effect series. Though there isn't an obvious and direct path to an Outer Worlds sequel as such, the world that Obsidian Entertainment crafted is rife with possibilities. One popular fan theory is that a sequel would take players back to Earth, whose communications have gone dark. There are many threads that Obsidian can explore with a potential sequel, and regardless of what form a new game takes, it will likely be some time before it's in players' hands for various reasons.
Rumored 2020 Pre-Production Start for The Outer Worlds 2
According to unverified claims by an industry insider, The Outer Worlds 2 entered pre-production in 2020. This could mean that ideas for a possible sequel are being explored since 2020. The insider also cautioned fans that while a sequel is being explored, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will become The Outer Worlds 2. The report also mentioned that it could turn into something else entirely and not be affiliated with The Outer Worlds franchise. With uncertainty over The Outer Worlds 2's status and whether it's in pre-production or not, fans could be in for a wait before something is announced, let alone the game being launched.
Obsidian's Continued Work on Grounded
One of Obsidian Entertainment's biggest projects is its early access title, Grounded. The survival RPG was released on early access in July 2020, and since then, Obsidian has been updating Grounded regularly. With regular updates expected for Grounded until it's ready for a full-scale release, it's expected that a chunk of Obsidian's workforce will be occupied with the early access game. Grounded doesn't have a release date set, though gamers are expecting it to be later in 2021 or perhaps 2022. With a long roadmap of content for Grounded, this could be something of a blocker for The Outer Worlds 2 entering full production. Obsidian is experienced with managing multiple projects, but Grounded is likely cutting into its resources to some degree.
Avowed is Likely a Huge Project
It's known that Obsidian Entertainment is working on multiple projects right now, but perhaps none are larger than its action RPG game, Avowed. The title is a spin-off of Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity, and it's set to take the world of Eora into the realms of first-person action RPG games. Beyond its initial teaser trailer in 2020, little is known about the game, but it's generally accepted by critics and fans alike that this could be a huge project. The first-person weapon wielding and magic usage bears a resemblance to The Elder Scrolls series, and many believe that Obsidian is targeting that audience specifically.
Avowed is in a unique position in that it's spinning off from a wildly different kind of role-playing game. Eora, the world of Pillars of Eternity and Avowed, has an established world with its own unique rules around death, the gods, and cultures. Adapting the world for an action RPG from a traditional CRPG could take some work to make it fit. While Avowed is likely being designed to stand on its own two feet, it will likely have to adapt aspects of Pillars of Eternity.
Avowed could be Obsidian's most ambitious work yet, and with that, it's fair to expect a significant portion of the studio's resources are dedicated to the project. The Outer Worlds 2 may be put on the backburner some bit, simply due to the presumed scope of Avowed. A sequel to The Outer Worlds would likely be an ambitious project in its own right, so it would stand to reason that Obsidian might want as many resources as possible working on it.
Obsidian Entertainment's Unannounced Project
In addition to Avowed, Grounded, and the expected Outer Worlds sequel, Obsidian has another project from Josh Sawyer in the works. Josh Sawyer, better known as the director of Fallout: New Vegas, confirmed that he is heading up a new project at the studio. It hasn't been confirmed what the game is, and speculation has been rife about it being a new Pillars of Eternity, a New Vegas sequel, or even The Outer Worlds 2. Whatever the project turns out to be, it could easily be another large project, considering that someone of Josh Sawyer's stature is heading it up. If this project isn't The Outer Worlds 2, it could be another drain on resources, delaying work on the sequel even further.
Obsidian has proven it's capable of managing multiple projects without being under too much strain. The studio has been working on several games at a time for years, and it seems as though this trend is continuing. A sequel to The Outer Worlds would undoubtedly command a lot of Obsidian's resources, which it possibly doesn't have at the moment. Obsidian could surprise gamers now that it's owned by Microsoft and the studio could have more resources it can avail of. It does, however, feel unlikely it would rush projects so that it can get started on The Outer Worlds 2. While an Outer Worlds sequel seems inevitable, its release date is far from certain at this point.
The Outer Worlds is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.