Avowed - What We Know So Far

The July 23 Xbox Games Showcase has come and gone. Among the announced games, you'll find Obsidian Entertainment's big new title, Avowed. The upcoming first-person, fantasy role-playing game takes place in Eora, the world of the developer's previous Pillars of Eternity games from 2015 and 2018. Obsidian is also responsible for Grounded, another game shown during the event, and Peril on Gorgon, a DLC for The Outer Worlds that was also revealed.

Gamers have yet to see much of Avowed except the short trailer, which has a traditional fantasy element reminiscent of Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. This will be an interesting project for Obsidian, which Microsoft acquired in 2018, as it'll be the first RPG the studio has released since then. Fans will, no doubt, regard it with a critical eye.

Here's what we know so far about this newly-revealed game, which, according to Microsoft, has been designed from the start for the Xbox Series X.

Avowed has yet to receive a release date or release window. Although it will be an Xbox Series X console exclusive, it will also come to PCs. Beyond that, a release date has not been set. Eagle-eyed industry watchers have pointed out that the reveal trailer trailer is full of pre-rendered material, which likely means Avowed is at least a couple years (or more) away wrapping up development. Clearly, Obsidian has some other projects going on as well, so it's not like it won't have something to show in the meantime.

Given this timeline, Avowed likely won't be a Series X launch title, and it's difficult to predict when more information will be revealed. Microsoft promised at the end of its showcase that more details on the announced games would be coming soon, but you probably shouldn't expect anything substantial on Avowed for some time yet.

The Avowed Reveal Trailer starts with some epic fantasy visuals paired with dramatic music and dialogue, and then segues into scenes showing a first-person perspective. This teaser implies that not only will you be using a sword to slash at your enemies, your journey through the game will also involve casting spells. If you have ever devoured a high fantasy novel like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the trailer's talk of queens and kings and forsaken oaths will sound familiar.

With so little to go on, it's clear the trailer is meant to create some hype for a game that's not coming anytime soon — and it's definitely done that successfully. Commenters on the video who are already looking forward to the game cite the fact that Obsidian Entertainment did well with 2010's Fallout: New Vegas, another RPG, albeit in a much different style.

Players of Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire are already somewhat familiar with the atmospherically fantastical world of Eora, shown in high-def glory within the trailer. It'll be interesting to see how the setting of Avowed fits into the timeline of Eora, and what role is played by the land's meddlesome gods. Some of the commenters on the trailer have spotted symbols belonging to Woedica, a goddess of the realm. This might place the action on the continent of Aedyr, home of the Aedyr Empire.

All the rest potential fans can glean to date is that there are monsters to be fought, catacombs to hide in, and runes to be cast. It appears to be a dark, war-torn time in Eora's history. Beyond that, little else is known about the plot of this title. It looks like Pillars devotees will have to wait a bit longer to satisfy their curiosity.