Avowed: A Destiny-Skyrim Hybrid Unveiled

In a recent Bloomberg interview, Avowed's second game director, Carrie Patel, revealed the tumultuous development journey that resulted in the scrapping of two years' worth of work. Obsidian Entertainment initially conceived Avowed as a blend of Destiny and Skyrim, aiming for cooperative exploration of a vast open world with multiplayer components.

The 2020 teaser trailer ignited fan anticipation, yet it masked the game's unfinished state. Months later, the decision was made to completely overhaul the project. The teaser now serves as a reminder of a discarded prototype, vastly different from the final release.

Following the reboot, Patel took the helm, reimagining Avowed. She moved away from the Skyrim and Destiny influences, abandoning the open-world design and multiplayer features. Instead, Obsidian returned to its signature zone-based structure, focusing on a captivating single-player narrative deeply rooted in the Pillars of Eternity lore.

This mid-development restart presented monumental challenges, comparable to filmmaking without a script. Teams worked diligently under considerable uncertainty as leadership solidified a unified vision. Despite these obstacles, development continued for another four years before Avowed's eventual launch.