Summary
- Avowed delayed to Feb 2025 to clear space for other Xbox exclusives on Game Pass launch.
- Xbox Game Pass lineup for Fall 2024 strong even without Avowed, with various titles.
- Delay benefits Avowed & other games to shine, offering room for smaller Indie experiences.
A few days ago, The Verge's Tom Warren reported that the long-awaited Obsidian fantasy action-RPG Avowed was going to be delayed from its rumored November 2024 release date, and pushed into early 2025. Soon after, Xbox confirmed that report, officially stating that Avowed had been delayed to February 18 2025. In its official confirmation, Xbox claimed that this decision was made "to give players’ backlogs some breathing room," while also hinting at the publisher's upcoming slate of exclusives, all of which are coming to Xbox Game Pass on launch.
In The Verge's original report, it was said that Xbox would delay Avowed to 2025 in order to clear it from STALKER 2's new November release window, itself having just received another delay. While there's probably some truth to this, STALKER 2 is far from the only major first-party title hitting Xbox Game Pass this Fall, and while many fans were looking forward to Avowed, Game Pass is likely going to be just fine without it this year.
Xbox Game Pass' Fall 2024 Line-Up Can Survive Without Avowed
Xbox Game Pass Still Has Plenty of Games Lined Up for Fall 2024
Before its recent delay, it was rumored that Avowed was targeting a November 2024 release date. Though it'll be disappointing for many that it's no longer going to hit that window, there are plenty of long-awaited Xbox games set to release around the same time. One of the earliest first-party games set to launch on Xbox Game Pass around the Fall is Age of Mythology: Retold, a remake of a real-time strategy classic that launches on September 4. The strategy genre is actually set to dominate Xbox Game Pass' September 2024 line-up, with both Frostpunk 2 and Ara: History Untold joining Age of Mythology: Retold later in the month.
Though just one Xbox Game Pass day-one title is confirmed for October 2024 so far, it's a pretty gigantic one. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set to hit Xbox Game Pass on its October 25 release day, marking not just the first Call of Duty entry but the first Activision-Blizzard game in general to hit the subscription service on day one. Moving into November, Xbox Game Pass is already set to receive Flight Simulator 2024 and the aforementioned STALKER 2, which is finally set to release after years of waiting, and four major delays.
And those are just the Xbox Game Pass day-one titles with concrete release dates. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is still slated for a 2024 release, despite fans seeing only brief glimpses of gameplay earlier this year. Stoic Studio's side-scrolling action-adventure Towerborne is also still slated for a 2024 launch. Even in the absence of Avowed, and even if these two titles don't end up launching this year, Xbox Game Pass' Fall 2024 line-up is still looking strong.
Avowed's Delay Allows For Some Breathing Room on Xbox Game Pass
In the end, delaying Avowed could end up being the best thing for it. Though it won't quite offer an RPG experience on the same scale as something like The Witcher 3 or Skyrim, Avowed is still going to give fans a lengthy 20-25 hour story, and a further 20+ hours of side content to enjoy. All of that deserves its own time in the spotlight, which the game's recent delay could offer.
Delaying Avowed could also be highly beneficial for other titles that would have otherwise launched in its shadow. Xbox Game Pass has always been a great platform for Indie games, giving intrigued players the chance to test out a game without needing to drop any additional cash. Avowed's delay now means there's plenty of room for those smaller Indie experiences to shine on Xbox Game Pass during the Fall.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
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