Avowed Was Originally Designed as a Blend of Destiny and Skyrim

In a recent Bloomberg interview, Avowed's second game director, Carrie Patel, revealed the turbulent 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 to merge cooperative exploration of a vast open world with multiplayer elements.

The 2020 teaser trailer, while exciting for fans, masked the game's far-from-finished state. Months later, the decision was made to completely restart development, leaving the trailer as a relic of a discarded prototype vastly different from the final release.

Following the reboot, Patel took the reins as game director, reimagining the project. She moved away from the Skyrim and Destiny influences, abandoning the open-world design and multiplayer features. Instead, Obsidian opted for their signature zone-based structure, focusing on a compelling 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 intensely amidst uncertainty as leadership solidified a unified vision. Despite these obstacles, development continued for another four years before Avowed's eventual release.