Avowed Sequel/DLC Hinted At as Sales Numbers Satisfies Obsidian and Microsoft

The director of Avowed has hinted at exciting plans for the franchise following its successful launch. Delve into the potential for an expansion or sequel, and discover other developments from the studio.

Avowed Director Wants To Do More With The World They Built

Possibility of Expansions or Sequels

The release of Avowed has been a triumph, with both Microsoft and Obsidian expressing satisfaction with its sales figures. In a recent interview with Bloomberg on February 22, 2025, Avowed Game Director Carrie Patel discussed the potential for further development of the game.

While Obsidian has not officially announced any plans for the franchise, Patel expressed a keen interest in continuing to direct games within this universe. She highlighted her desire to explore expansions and sequels, stating, "Now that we’ve built this wonderful world, and also built this team strength and muscle memory around the content and gameplay in this world, I’d love to see us do more with it."

Changes in Avowed During Development

The journey to create Avowed was fraught with challenges and significant changes. Patel shared insights into the development process, describing it as "messy" but ultimately rewarding.

Originally started in 2018, the project faced hurdles as Obsidian considered selling the company. Despite successes with titles like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, the studio encountered the complexities of remaining independent. Microsoft's acquisition in 2020 marked a pivotal moment, leading to the game's announcement. However, the team had to make tough decisions, including forgoing multiplayer elements and other features. A leadership change in January 2021 prompted a reboot of the project under Patel's direction.

Managing a team of over 80 people during this reevaluation was challenging, Patel noted. She emphasized the importance of focusing on the story and lore from the Pillars of Eternity franchise, and shifting from an open world to open zones to enhance these areas. Reflecting on her experience, Patel remarked, "There’s this interesting thing I’ve seen on every project I’ve worked on or seen during my time at the studio — things are messy, messy, messy, then they start coming together."

Obsidian Wants Pillars of Eternity Tactics

With Avowed bringing renewed attention to the Pillars of Eternity universe, Obsidian is exploring new avenues for the franchise. During a Twitch livestream on February 23, 2025, Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Director Josh Sawyer revealed the studio's interest in developing a tactics game, tentatively titled Pillars: Tactics.

Sawyer explained, "Pillars: Tactics is a thing that a lot of people would like, a lot of people at the studio would like to work on; there are a lot of people who like tactics games." However, he acknowledged the challenges in determining the project's scope, including team size, visual quality, and overall scale. The idea of a tactics game for Pillars of Eternity has been floated by developers in the past, and Avowed's success may provide the impetus to bring this vision to life.

Despite his enthusiasm for a tactics game, Sawyer also expressed his ambition to create Pillars of Eternity 3 with a budget comparable to that of Baldur’s Gate 3, which is a significant leap from the budget of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire.

Avowed is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC. Stay tuned for more updates and insights into the future of this captivating franchise by checking out our article below!