Back when Obsidian announced its space-faring first-person RPG The Outer Worlds, fans were quick to draw comparisons to Fallout. Obsidian comprises several key heads behind the first Fallout games, and The Outer Worlds' trailer mentions as much. While the game featured dark humor, corporate greed, and companions galore which players would expect of a Fallout or Bethesda-style RPG, it would prove to be only the beginning of Obsidian's return to the first-person RPG sandbox. Another Obsidian Fallout is unlikely for a variety of reasons, but fans can look forward to original Obsidian titles of the same caliber. With Avowed on the horizon, Obsidian's recent survival game serves an excellent showcase of the studio's capabilities.
Interestingly, it wasn't The Outer Worlds that exemplified Obsidian's potential to soar past Skyrim. Grounded, a unique survival game set in an oversized backyard, features a beautifully stylized environment and dangerously competent enemy AI. If The Outer Worlds invoked memories of Fallout: New Vegas' open-ended gameplay and thoughtful dialogue, Grounded proved the studio can craft an intricate world that is realistic, immersive, and largely hard to break. While bugs have become synonymous with Bethesda, players seem to have lost a lot of patience for the increasing quirkiness of its most recent titles. Following Bethesda's difficult Fallout 76 launch, perhaps underdog Obsidian can take advantage of its recent successful releases and the many lessons it learned along the way to craft Avowed into a truly solid contender for Skyrim.
Grounded Does What Skyrim Requires Mods to Do
It might seem strange to compare Grounded to Skyrim, but the basic elements of Obsidian's survival game serve a great foundation for the kind of first-person fantasy RPG that Avowed needs to be to stand out. Despite the fantastical nature of Grounded, the game manages to feel borderline horror at times—that is, if bus-sized bugs get under a player's skin. This can be attributed to its realistic visuals and involved mechanics. The game has excellent atmosphere that reinforces its survival mechanics, the lightly stylized tools and characters somehow feel at home under the towering blades of grass. Grounded earns its place among the best survival games because it's smooth and immersive in a way that the average Bethesda game is not. Bethesda's RPGs are immersive and rather cozy in their own right, but the survival aspects of Grounded make the game a uniquely gripping experience.
There is little information on Avowed, save for a pre-rendered reveal trailer. The trailer showcases hand-sign magic, dark visuals, and mention of the realm Eora. Obsidian has since confirmed its connection to the Pillars of Eternity universe, which is an incredibly well-written world itself. Combine its plethora displays of grade-A writing and companion variety with Grounded's gritty realism and survival mechanics, and Avowed is set to be a complex, brutal, lived-in world to rival TheElder Scrolls' poster child. Considering Bethesda's waning relationship with its fans, should Obsidian deliver a game as mechanically solid as Grounded, it's likely to receive majority favor on the fantasy RPG front. If Obsidian can support a modding community around Avowed, its lifespan would increase tremendously.
From New Vegas to Grounded, all the pieces of a legendary RPG are on the table, Obsidian need only assemble them into something special. It's unlikely that Avowed will kill The Elder Scrolls VI, and Microsoft most certainly wouldn't let the sister studios consume each other. Both Avowed and The Elder Scrolls VI are likely to succeed. However, Avowed has the potential to set a new template for the fantasy RPG the way Skyrim did over a decade ago. Whatever happens, both Bethesda and Obsidian seek to redefine sci-fi RPGs with Starfield and The Outer Worlds 2, respectively. If Avowed doesn't break the fantasy mold, perhaps both studios' endeavors on the final frontier will define a new era of sci-fi RPG.
Avowed is currently in development.