Avowed Was Originally Designed as a Blend of Destiny and Skyrim

Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed: A Development Odyssey

Bloomberg recently interviewed Carrie Patel, Avowed's second game director, revealing a tumultuous development journey that resulted in the complete overhaul of two years of work. Initially, Obsidian envisioned Avowed as a blend of Destiny and Skyrim, incorporating cooperative multiplayer into a vast open world.

The 2020 teaser trailer, while exciting for fans, belied the game's unfinished state. A decision was made to scrap the project entirely and begin again, leaving the trailer as a testament to a vastly different, unreleased prototype.

Patel then took the reins, fundamentally reshaping Avowed. The Skyrim and Destiny influences were discarded, along with the open-world design and multiplayer components. Instead, Obsidian returned to its familiar zone-based structure, focusing on a captivating single-player narrative deeply rooted in the Pillars of Eternity universe.

This mid-development reboot presented significant obstacles, comparable to filmmaking without a script. Teams navigated uncertainty as the leadership solidified a unified vision. Despite these setbacks, development continued for another four years before Avowed's eventual release.