Obsidian Entertainment Can't Think of Avowed as Its Own…

Avowed is easily one of the most anticipated upcoming fantasy RPGs, even if fans know very little about it. Many fans are more than eager to explore the world of Eora, the same world shown in the Pillars of Eternity franchise. Despite how little is currently known about the game, many have compared it to The Elder Scrolls, much like The Outer Worlds was compared to Fallout. That is certainly not, nor should it be, the mindset of the developer.

When judging the popularity or quality of new games, many fans have a habit of comparing them to previous, but similar titles. While this usually is limited to the fan base, there is a possibility it could stretch over Avowed's developer, Obsidian Entertainment. It's important, however, that Obsdian ensures it thinks of Avowed differently from its competitors.

Avowed Needs to Be Different From the Bottom Up

The most popular example of a possible competitor to Avowed is Bethesda's Elder Scrolls franchise. While many of these similarities are conjured by fans, it's hard to doubt the influence a franchise like Fallout had on another game by Obsidian Entertainment, The Outer Worlds. Some could even go as far as to say that there may have been too many similarities. Avowed could end up in the same boat as The Outer Worlds because of this. To prevent that, Obsidian Entertainment can't think of Avowed as being the next The Elder Scrolls, but something entirely new that can stand on its own two feet.

For example, Avowed will inevitably take inspiration from many places, but one of these places will likely be Skyrim. This makes sense, considering the fact that Skyrim is easily one of the most influential fantasy RPGs out there, with many-a-dev taking inspiration. While it's important to look to other games to understand what made them so enjoyable, it is also important to understand that repeating its formula may not always work. Avowed needs to dig deep into creating a formula that makes it special and sets it apart from other games in the genre. After all, Skyrim didn't become popular through repetition, but through innovation.

But to be fair, Skyrim is the fifth installment of what was a nearly two-decade-old franchise at the time of release. Bethesda had years to innovate on a formula it had been working to perfect for years. Obsidian Entertainment more recently started working on first-person games, with many of its previous works consisting of isometric games. It will likely have a lot to learn in that department, but this also means it will have plenty of chances to innovate upon certain aspects of Avowed. Avowed could even contain features from Pillars of Eternity that allow it a greater degree of freedom in terms of both development in gameplay, and may even become a winning formula.

This would also better allow Obsidian Entertainment to create its own legacy, rather than having one based on another. For example, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises are always mentioned as sources of inspiration, rather than ones that look to other games for it. Avowed should look to do something similar, innovating and working on its own formula to the extent that other developers look to it for what a quality video game looks like. In that aspect, Avowed can go above and beyond games like Skyrim, creating a legacy that other developers will look to as the pinnacle of game design.

With that in mind, it is important to note that the scale of Avowed has yet to be confirmed. It has been reported to be as big as Skyrim, but it could also be a much smaller game such as The Outer Worlds. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Avowed reimagines many features of the fantasy RPG genre.