The Outer Worlds 2 was announced to be in development in the summer of 2021, and many gamers are excited to see what is next in this RPG set in a sci-fi universe, where society is ruled by megacorporations. Fans loved the original game for its dark humor, RPG choices, and its gameplay that was reminiscent of Fallout. While they are excited for what already made the game great, there are also some differences they are hoping for. Namely, the option to romance companions.
TheOuter Worlds had six companions, each with very different backgrounds and fun personalities. Their characters were a strength of the game, but players wished they could know them a little more intimately if they wanted. This has become more of an expectation in RPGs due to other games like Fallout 4, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect offering romance with companions.
Why Romance Options Are Important To RPG Players
What draws a lot of players to RPGs is the number of choices and options they get to make the story uniquely their own. They can join or destroy different factions, befriend or kill certain characters, and can solve problems in a variety of ways. It is quite fun to compare the game with others online to see how different choices get different results. Not only that, but it makes the game far more fun to replay. The option of romance is a major staple of this freedom RPGs give players. Due to this, many were disappointed when the first Outer Worlds game did not have romance features.
On Reddit, fans talked back and forth about the lack of romance in the game. Some mentioned that romance is a powerful form of character development, and that is certainly shown by characters like Parvati. There are also plenty of gamers that found the lack of romance refreshing, however, games with romance always give players the freedom to just not romance anyone, while games without romance do not give romance-loving gamers any option.
As to why Obsidian did not have romance in The Outer Worlds, it was a matter of time and resources, which is quite understandable. There are far more important elements to a game than romance options, and they decided to focus on those. However, The Outer Worlds 2 could be a different story.
What Is Known About The Outer Worlds 2
Much is still unknown about this upcoming sequel since it is still early in development. Preorders are not yet available, but it has been revealed that the game will be an Xbox and PC exclusive. A tweet from the official Outer Worlds account did say, "New star system. New crew. Same Outer Worlds." This means that the game will likely be exploring completely different planets with new characters. What will likely remain the same is the mechanics, lore, and humor.
Outside just romance options, fans also hope for a longer game, as The Outer Worlds was incredibly short compared to other games by Obsidian. The chance for romances in this sequel is worth being hopeful for, as Obsidian has made games with romance options before. They have done so with Neverwinter Nights 2, Alpha Protocol, and Pillars of Eternity 2. Their style of doing romances is quite different from BioWare, though, often being more subtle and minor.
So, if The Outer Worlds 2 does have romances, they will likely be small that not garner a lot of in-game attention. However, it has been shown that romances do encourage a lot more fandom activity outside the game from more merchandise to fan art and fan fiction.
The Outer Worlds 2 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.