Avowed has a world bigger than Skyrim and a focus on physics-based magic, according to new leak
A new leak suggests Avowed could be a much bigger undertaking for Obsidian than we initially assumed.
Avowed, the action RPG from Obsidian, was one of the surprise announcements at last week's Xbox Games Showcase. The game was revealed with the help of a brief CG trailer that confirmed first-person combat, and a focus on casting magic spells.
Outside of that, however, little else is known about Avowed. Now, according to Resetera forum member Sponger, the game is indeed an open-world RPG that's several times bigger and denser than Skyrim. There are apparently two large cities in the game, and the open world has major landmarks and diverse zones.
Avowed will feature a real-time weather system, where fog, specifically, is said to play a big role. Unlike Skyrim, Avowed's world is said to be more reactive and interactive. Obsidian has ambitious goals with physics simulation when it comes to magic. The developer is also making use of updated AI systems to create a living world. Companions, while in, won't work quite like they did in The Outer Worlds, though details on that have been left out.
Being set in the Pillars of Eternity world, Avowed will borrow from and to the existing lore, creatures and designs. The leak also talks about boss fights, which will apparently bookmark major moments.
And, for those who can't help but spend hours crafting every fine detail on their character, Avowed will seemingly have a "very advanced" character creator.
Sponger concluded by saying that the game has already entered full production with a team of around 100 people, and Obsidian will continue to hire more in the foreseeable future. Right now, the studio is targeting a late 2022, early 2023 release.
Though Sponger doesn't have the longest track record when it comes to Microsoft leaks, he's been vouched for by Klobrille, a different leaker who has been solid in the past. This obviously isn't confirmation of anything, and you should always take leaks of this nature with a grain of salt. Indeed, as they point out in the original post, some of details could change over the course of development.
Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.