When Avowed was first unveiled several years ago, many assumed that it was going to be Obsidian Entertainment’s attempt at developing an RPG similar in scale to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, though the developer made it clear not long afterwards that it was instead going to be a much more compact and focused experience.
Exactly how long can we expect it to be though? Speaking in an interview with Game Informer, when asked the question, game director Carrie Patel revealed that Avowed is going to be roughly as long as Obsidian’s own 2020 sci-fi RPG, The Outer Worlds.
“The best comparison for Avowed in terms of scope is The Outer Worlds,” Patel said. “Players can expect a roughly similar experience, just like The Outer Worlds, depending on what kind of difficulty they play on, and how thoroughly they explore and invest inside content, versus just sticking to the main crit path missions.”
The Outer Worlds was a game that you could get 25-30 hours out of if you were doing a good amount of side quests and optional content, though for those sticking to only the critical path, it could be finished in as much as about 15 hours, so that’s roughly the range Avowed is going to fall in, going by what Patel is saying. Of course, with the game also set to feature multiple endings, that’s bound to contribute to its replay value.
As you might imagine, that will also be reflected in the game’s world and its size. When asked about Avowed’s comparisons to Skyrim, Patel said once again that the game is instead more similar to The Outer Worlds, with a number of fragmented maps that allow open-ended exploration, rather than a single, large, seamless world.
“I think the best comparison is The Outer Worlds. I think that gives a much clearer idea of the scope of the game and also the design and layout,” she said. “Like The Outer Worlds, Avowed has a series of open zones that are connected and unlock over the course of the game, rather than one giant map that you can walk through from beginning to end. And yeah, in terms of the kind of the quest structure, the narrative structure, it’s a lot closer to The Outer Worlds, as well.”
Avowed is due out this Fall for Xbox Series X/S and PC. A release date is currently unknown, but leaks have claimed that it will launch in November. Microsoft has confirmed that it will be bringing the action RPG to Gamescom this August, so expect more details in the not-too-distant future.
