Simran Joshi
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has provided insight into the delay of *Avowed*, the highly anticipated action role-playing game from Obsidian Entertainment. Originally slated for a Fall 2024 release, the game is now set to launch on February 18, 2025.
Spencer explained that the delay wasn’t due to development setbacks, but rather a strategic decision to better pace Xbox Game Pass releases. With a lineup of major titles, including Diablo 4 expansions and Starfield, set to arrive in 2024, the delay allows Xbox to space out its big releases and avoid overwhelming players. Fans can look forward to the polished title next year, although concerns have arisen regarding its performance on release.
Avowed Delay: A Strategic Move for Xbox Game Pass
The reason behind this delay wasn’t the need for Obsidian Entertainment to have more time, at least according to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer; rather, it was a deliberate move to balance the release of upcoming titles on Xbox Game Pass.
Spencer said, “We’re not shifting it because Obsidian needed the time. They’re going to use the time,” meaning that the extra months would help work on the game without pressure. He went on to say that he sat down with Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, and was in talks with the Game Pass team to “pace this out a little better” and not overwhelm players with too many titles all at once.
And with big titles like Black Ops 6, Indiana Jones, and Diablo 4 all launching in 2025, Spencer elaborated on the need to maintain a steady flow of games: “We can push Obsidian’s highly anticipated ARPG into 2025 when titles like Black Ops 6, Indiana Jones, and Diablo 4’s massive expansion are all set to release in the very same calendar year,” Spencer said, while elaborating on the careful management of the release calendar for the period.
Development Time Focus: Polishing Avowed Before Release
In October 2021, Spencer reported that Obsidian would make good use of the extra time by “polishing” Avowed before its new release date of February 18, 2025.
“They’ll use the time,” Spencer said, implying that the added months would give Obsidian space to polish the overall quality of the game. The decision was made with Game Pass in mind, too; the game will be available on day one, augmenting what already turns out to be an impressive lineup of games.
Performance, however, has been a concern as some developers at Obsidian said that performance will be one of its late-stage focuses.
One developer said that they are shooting for a “bare minimum” at 30 FPS, which came under attack since it would mean the game does not ship with a 60 FPS mode out of the gate. The extra time in development is to give the game just a little more polishing and stability at launch.
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