The Outer Worlds from Obsidian Entertainment proved to be a smash hit for the veteran developer. The sci-fi action-RPG was received well due to its blend of dark humor and serious drama, and its sales exceeded expectations with over 2 million units sold. The first DLC content, Peril on Gorgon, was well-received when it was released in September 2020, and before April 2021, the game's final piece of DLC, entitled Murder on Eridanos, will be launched. The new DLC will likely mark the end of the support cycle for the game and is likely to free up some of the Obsidian Entertainment workforces to move on to its several other ongoing projects.
Since the release of Star Wars Knight of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords in 2004, Obsidian Entertainment has developed numerous RPG titles, including its own IP Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, and the fan-favorite Fallout: New Vegas. While The Outer Worlds was being developed, the studio was acquired by Microsoft and was integrated into its Xbox Game Studios label. With The Outer Worlds soon set to be finished in terms of its post-release extra content, this could mean a big shift for the studio in addition to Murder on Eridanos being a fitting sendoff of sorts to The Outer Worlds.
Murder on Eridanos and What Comes After
While no specific release date has been mentioned, The Outer Worlds' second narrative expansion has been confirmed to launch before the end of the current fiscal year. For a lot of fans, this could be a nice way to mark the end of post-launch content support for The Outer Worlds, with the expansion set to continue its blend of humor, action, and pulp sci-fi style. Once Murder on Eridanos is released, there is likely going to be a period where Obsidian Entertainment needs to work on resolving any bugs that may occur, but once post-release issues are fixed, a lot of resources will likely be freed up.
A potentially obvious move for Obsidian to make would be to shift some of its staff to assist development of its survival game, Grounded. The game is currently in an early access stage with its full release expected at some stage in 2021. Grounded has received multiple updates since its early access release, and it could benefit greatly from an enhanced workforce as it draws nearer to a full release. The title has already been well-received by critics and the fanbase, so adding some more team members to the project could result in a quicker turnaround on new updates and content to make the game more prepared for a full release. Grounded isn't the only confirmed Obsidian Entertainment project that would benefit from additional staff, however.
Avowed and the Microsoft Acquisition
Avowed is a spin-off of the Pillars of Eternity series and will be set in the same world as those games, Eora. Avowed marks the first project for the team under the Xbox Games Studios banner, with some fans expecting it to be one of Obsidian Entertainment's biggest games ever. The title was initially unveiled in July 2020 and the few updates could indicate that Avowed is in a quiet period of its development at the moment.
Some gamers are expecting Avowed to be a huge title, due to it being a first-person action-RPG that will likely be compared to Skyrim until it's eventually released, and with some extra hands working it, the game could match some of the lofty expectations that have been placed upon it. It's unknown when to expect further news on the RPG, but with some extra studio staff working on it, it could help speed up its development. Microsoft is undoubtedly eager to get its first project from Obsidian out in the world, and Obsidian Entertainment is likely to be as excited to share its work.
As far as confirmed projects go, Grounded and Avowed have been publicly announced by the developer, but there is possibly more going on at Obsidian Entertainment than just these confirmed games. Studio design director Josh Sawyer has mentioned that he is directing his own project at the studio, which is a big deal considering how much else is going on at the developer currently. No details about this project have been confirmed, but there is speculation that this could be anything from a new Pillars of Eternity game to a sequel to The Outer Worlds.
Obsidian's Next Steps
There could be a renewed interest in the world of Eora with Avowed or a sequel to The Outer Worlds could make sense too, as it was very successful financially and earned a sizeable global following. Moving employees straight over to a new Outer Worlds game possibly makes sense due to the recent experience the individuals have working on the DLC for the first game. With nothing confirmed about this secret project, players can only make educated guesses as to what it is and what it means for The Outer Worlds DLC's current workforce.
What project or projects the people who are working on Murder on Eridanos will be moved to is anyone's guess. With Avowed and Grounded being its confirmed projects, it might be fair to assume that these people will be moved to those projects to help development progress. The existence of a project being headed up by Josh Sawyer certainly gives fans plenty of reasons to be excited, especially if its development may be accelerated with The Outer Worlds' content winding down.
Since Microsoft acquired Obsidian Entertainment, the existence of a Fallout: New Vegas sequel has been rumored heavily, and perhaps this is the mystery project being made behind the scenes due to some friendly maneuvering. Of course, it all remains to be seen, but this is an exciting time for fans of Obsidian Entertainment.
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos is scheduled for release in Q1 2021 on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.