The Outer Worlds is a Fallout: New Vegas-esque RPG by Obsidian Entertainment that was released toward the end of 2019. The game received two DLCs, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos, which were meaningful additions to the base game. The Outer Worlds lets players side with or fight against capitalism, with choices that determine the final ending of the game. Because the game’s ending is determinant of these choices, it’s a bit difficult to predict what The Outer Worlds 2 will entail for a plot. Some have predicted that it could be a prequel or set in a different location than the Halcyon colony.
Regardless of what plotline the game will actually follow, it’s already rumored that The Outer Worlds 2 is in pre-production. This rumor started around October 2020, just a year after the release of The Outer Worlds. Many fans have speculated that The Outer Worlds 2 wouldn’t be around for a long while, especially after Microsoft’s acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment and the recent announcement that Microsoft will control the IP of The Outer Worlds from now on. Microsoft’s E3 presentation is going to have lots of interesting material, and some rumors report The Outer Worlds 2 could make an appearance.
What Is The Outer Worlds 2 E3 Rumor?
Windowscentral.com did a write-up of everything to be expected from Microsoft’s portion of E3, which is all set to kick off on June 13. Some items are pretty much guaranteed, while others are pure rumors or come with conflicting information. One such rumor is that The Outer Worlds 2 will make an appearance at E3 this year. The pre-production rumor for The Outer Worlds 2 started less than a year ago, so it would be surprising to see anything about it at E3. However, the development team dedicated to The Outer Worlds IP has probably been hard at work, so it’s also equally possible that The Outer Worlds 2 will have something to showcase during E3 2021.
What The Outer Worlds 2 Appearing at E3 Means For Microsoft
While players have been expecting some sort of sequel to The Outer Worlds, having word about it so quickly means a few different things in terms of production and support from Microsoft. Originally, Microsoft was not the publisher of the game, Take-Two Interactive and Private Division were. The recent announcement that Microsoft will be in charge of The Outer Worlds IP going forward was far from shocking, but The Outer Worlds 2 E3 2021 rumor could mean big things for Obsidian Entertainment and The Outer Worlds.
Obsidian Entertainment currently has a few different projects going on, like Avowed and Grounded, so it wouldn’t have been surprising to see The Outer Worlds 2 get pushed to the back burner to focus on the other in-development games. However, the rumor that The Outer Worlds 2 could appear at E3 means that Microsoft has not only continued to support Obsidian Entertainment but may have done so in a bigger way than anyone realized. Acquisitions and IP ownership changes can be messy and have quite an adjustment period, but it seems like The Outer Worlds may have avoided showing the difficulty of the transition to the public.
It also shows that Microsoft values Obsidian Entertainment and The Outer Worlds IP, so much so that it’s dedicated enough resources to have some sort of The Outer Worlds 2 news at E3. While it is just a rumor, it could show that Microsoft wasted no time continuing Obsidian Entertainment’s projects, even the ones that seemed far away. The Outer Worlds 2 may or may not show up at E3, but the sheer rumor of it could mean The Outer Worlds sequel may be closer than imagined and Microsoft didn’t hesitate to continue Obsidian’s projects.
The Outer Worlds 2 is rumored to be in development.