In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Carrie Patel, the second game director of Avowed, provided insights into the tumultuous development journey that resulted in the abandonment of two years' worth of work. Initially, Obsidian Entertainment set out to create Avowed as a blend of Destiny and Skyrim, envisioning a vast open world ripe for cooperative exploration and enriched with multiplayer elements.
The first teaser trailer, released in 2020, sparked enthusiasm among fans, yet it concealed the truth: the game was far from finished. Mere months after the trailer's debut, the decision was made to completely overhaul the project, rendering the teaser a mere echo of an unreleased prototype that no longer reflected the game's direction.
Following this pivotal reboot, Carrie Patel stepped in as game director and steered the project in a new direction. She moved away from the initial inspirations of Skyrim and Destiny, opting to abandon the open-world and multiplayer aspects. Instead, Obsidian returned to their strengths, adopting a zone-based structure and concentrating on developing a rich single-player narrative deeply connected to the lore of Pillars of Eternity.
Restarting the project mid-development posed significant challenges, comparable to making a film without a script. Teams labored under uncertain circumstances as the leadership worked to forge a unified vision. Despite these obstacles, the development process extended over another four years until Avowed was finally ready for release.
