Games @sh.itjust.works jet @hackertalks.com 2d ago

Was Avowed a Success? - Laura Fryer

"Good enough for game pass"

Laura brings up some excellent points

Obsidian shipped on time, after being acquired
Obsidian already has outer worlds 2 in the works
Obsidian gets the OW team back together

Avowed may not be a win on its own, but in the context of a MS studio it's a win, and they cleared their plate to focus on OW2.

37 comments

I really haven't understood the reactions I've seen to the game. To me it's a really tight, interwoven, streamlined action-RPG that checks so many boxes for me that other games haven't tried to touch for years. 9/10 from me personally. It's been wild seeing the incredibly lukewarm reaction everywhere else.
- I'm with you, I'm having a blast, but I think the reactions are because of the idea that it would be a Skyrim type game and... It's not really even trying to be that. Like you said, it's an ARPG, the roleplaying is basically just dialogue and most of the game is really well done exploration and combat.
- It's $70 with minimal marketing
I'm really enjoying it so far. I haven't had much time, so I'm not very far in.

My only complaint is that I'm playing on a launch Series X and it crashes to the home screen constantly. I set it to autosave frequently, and it doesn't take long to boot back up, so I just keep trudging through, but it really is frustrating.
All well and good with the pyrrhic victories for obsidian but, after paying 70€ for Avowed and returning it because it is a bargain bin RPG at best, the only victory Obsidian achieved was shedding yet another supporter of them pre-acquisition (kickstarters included). I will likely ignore TOW2 till it is heavily diacounted and Obsidian has been moved to the unreliable developers pile. Looking at steam stats, size of team and estimated sales numbers, I'm not alone in this.

It appears Warhorse, Larian et al have something that was lost in US studios. Avowed had a 6y development cycle under the umbrella of one of the wealthiest companies in the world, there are exactly 0 excuses for it to be this meh.
- Respectfully disagree with your opinion but many reviewers seem to have raised similar points to you so I'm wondering if I'm an outlier for enjoying it so much.
  
  I think it's also an expectation game. When you pay 70€ for a game from a storied studio, after 6y of development and a massive marketing campaign one expects a certain level of quality and familiarity. Obsidian worlds are famously dynamic, from Outer worlds 1 (had different problems), POE all the way back to the genesis of the studio, including 3rd pty commissioned projects like New Vegas. I, like many other fans, expected the same dynamic world and engaging story, and we didn't get that. The combat is fun, on a superficial level, it's great, but I find Avowed lacking much like I find FFXVI lacking. The interactivity, mechanics and depth of the R in RPG is too small, it's an action game. If I want an action game, I'm not spending 70€ for an obsidian game, there are far better studios out there for that genre.
  
  I know it's #firstworldproblems but it really left a sour taste in my mouth to have yet another obsidian game feel like a cash in of the obsidian name roster than a genuine attempt at making a good game. If one takes Laura's "victory" story and is less generous (she's a personal relationship of people on the team) Obsidian has shipped underwhelming games because MS wants to ship asap, rather than cooking to an acceptable level of quality.
- As per interviews Awoved pivoted in 2021 from dark multiplayer to what it is now. What that tells us is that it could've been something like Suicide Squad/Gotham Knights/Veilguard, but they successfully pivoted in the end.
  
  That's 4y after the pivot and completely ignores the fact eora has been crafted, a lot of lore and worldbuilding already exists. They had 2y of production leading up to the pivot (assets et all) and, again, they are supported by one of the richest companies in the world. It's not a bad game, it most certainly isn't a good game, it's just mediocre. Fine for gamepass I guess but 70€ for such a poor delivery is asking too much. 15-30€ would be more appropriate. Probably will give it another shot at that price in less than half a year.
  
  Edit: lol, just saw the massive amount of outlets bringing that point of the pivot, NOW, that the game had a terrible reception... Even a blind man can see a marketing agency behind that attempt at shifting the narrative.
I will admit I haven’t watched the video (I’m going to when I get home) but I thought Avowed was doing pretty well?

A number of major podcasts and outlets are signing its praises. It has some divisive scores for sure, but I’ve certainly anecdotally heard way more praise than criticism from games media, and friends of mine who are playing.

Obsidian have been on a pretty decent roll for quite some time. Avowed is exactly what Gamepass was seeking to support - smaller focused games, and it ain’t even that small. 30-50 hours from what I’m hearing.

I’m not even a massive fan of the genre, or the studio, but I don’t really get the negativity surrounding the game. Seems pretty successful by most metrics to me.
- It’s fun. Has its clear limitations, so it’s not as broad as many rpgs, but what it does do, it pulls off well. The “gamers” being mad about the pronoun picker is the source of a lot of the derision as far as I can tell.
  
  Have they released numbers yet? Surely it has sold pretty well, the word of mouth must be decent.
- I agree with you, before this post, I was under the impression that Avowed has been a win.
  
  Let's hope we get some numbers soon.
- if steam is any indication i would not call it a success: https://steamdb.info/app/2457220/charts/#max
  
  it's not really an indication considering it's a gamepass title
  
  Which part of "concurrent players on Steam" makes it a metric that determines if the game was a success?
- ITS WOKE
- What you are hearing is Microsoft sponsored cope. Anyone, having two neurons to rub together, who enjoyed past Obsidian games is overwhelmingly disappointed at how little interactivity the world has, how limited your interactions are and how insipid it is. If this is what gamepass is bringing to the table then it will inevitably fail because at this level of quality for first party it's competing with mobile games on a much more accessible platform.
  
  Edited to be more precise
  
  I've played most of Obsidian's catalog at this point, and this game rules.
  
  I disagree, I've been enjoying it so far. I still think OW beats it out of the water though.
I have really being enjoying it, granted, I didn't actually buy it. Just playing through Game Pass. I was definitely watching for it and started checking it out Day 1.

Is it GotY? Nah, but there haven't been many recent games that I've enjoyedn as much.
It's $70. There has been little appetite for $60 games as of late, but from what it sounds like Avowed at least has $70 bucks worth of time and stuff. Whereas many $60 titles aren't worth their sale prices--its not a high bar.

A $40 or less Avowed on sale next year will do well I predict.
I hope MSFT sees it like Laura does. However it does look like they've been kind and patient with Obsidian so far (pentiment, grounded, Avowed pivots from dark live service to rainbow RPG, and sequel to Outer Worlds, an ok release). They're definitely happy with regularly shipped games of diverse genres and audiences for GamePass. In a way, a perfect studio for a subscription service.
- Their other studios on the other hand, oofh.
  
  Rare: Ever wild (sea of thieves helps tho)
  
  Undead: State of Decay 3 (almost half a decade since announcement)
  
  Initiative: Perfect Dark (vertical slice looked good, but maybe that's all they've made so far)
  
  Turn10: Forza Motorsport (reboot didn't do anything it seems)
  
  343/Halo studios: ...

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