It looks like Obsidian's first-person RPG Avowed is in trouble, with several key players on the team changing roles and leaving the project. However, you can still make an appearance at the Microsoft Xbox and Bethesda Showcase tonight.
Revealed in July 2020, Avowed looks like Obsidian's answer to Bethesda's Elder Scrolls games. It is a first-person RPG set in the fantasy world that the team established through their Pillars of Eternity games. However, since that first trailer, Microsoft has been very quiet about the progress of the game, considering that it is one of the Xbox Series X exclusives from a studio of its own, this has been a cause for concern for Xbox fans.
Two leaks today suggest that Avowed will be appearing on Microsoft's Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, the next big show that's part of Summer Game Fest, and we shouldn't expect to play the RPG any time soon.
The first leak, spotted by Tom Warren at The Verge (opens in a new tab), came from a Microsoft employee posting games on LinkedIn that would appear on Showcase. "Viewers can expect appearances from Xbox-exclusive flagships Starfield, Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Avowed," the now-deleted post claimed.
a Microsoft employee posted on LinkedIn *may* have revealed some of the Xbox showcase games. tap the image to reveal the spoiler 👇 pic.twitter.com/79c1FZ8bwW June 12, 2022
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However, Matt Brown (opens in a new tab), editor of Windows Central, has since confirmed that the employee took the text from the center page of his website for Xbox and Bethesda Showcase.
Of course, a window display doesn't mean a game is almost done, and that's the case with Avowed, says Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier. In a now-deleted post, he says, “Avowed went through a few reboots and changed directors recently. I don't know if he'll be here today, but I wouldn't expect to play him for a while.
According to the LinkedIn page of Carrie Patel, declared director of the game (opens in a new tab), she is still leading the project. Of course, if she's changed roles recently, it's possible that she hasn't updated her LinkedIn yet, or is a different director, like art or sound, though none of these investigations have revealed any recent changes.
As to why Schreier deleted his tweet, he says (opens in a new tab) "I just don't want news sites and forums to make a fuss over a Twitter reply I sent to my phone while picking up bagels." So I don't feel stupid...
A recently confirmed departure from the team is Kate Dollarhyde, who, until last month, was the lead narrative designer on Avowed. She took to Twitter (she opens in a new tab) in May to announce "After five incredible years at Obsidian, I am leaving the studio to pursue my personal creative endeavors." It's unclear who replaced Dollarhyde on Avowed.
If you want to see for yourself if Avowed shows up tonight, here's how to watch the presentation from Xbox and Bethesda.