In a recent Q4 2021 financial earnings call (transcript via The Motley Fool), Take Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick provided an update on sales numbers for Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds. It sold in more than three million units till date following the release of Murder on Eridanos. Where does the franchise go from here though?

Private Division revealed to Tweak Town’s PR/gaming editor Derek Strickland that, “Moving forward, Obsidian and Microsoft will be publishing future iterations in the franchise, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see where they take it.” Strickland noted on Twitter that this doesn’t mean The Outer Worlds 2 has been confirmed, though there are rumors of it being in pre-production. All it reveals is that if a new title is developed, it will be Microsoft/Obsidian that publishes it and not Private Division.

Obsidian Entertainment was acquired by Microsoft in November 2018 and is now part of Xbox Game Studios. It’s currently developing the first-person medieval fantasy RPG Avowed for PC and Xbox Series X/S. Insider reports indicate a target release date of late 2022/early 2023 though we’ll need to wait for more details in the meantime. Stay tuned, especially with Microsoft being part of E3 2021 on June 12th to 15th.

Hey all, I got an official clarification from Private Division on future games in the The Outer Worlds IP:

"Moving forward, Obsidian and Microsoft will be publishing future iterations in the franchise, and we're absolutely thrilled to see where they take it."

— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) May 19, 2021

To be clear this isn't a confirmation of The Outer Worlds 2

If there is a sequel, Private Division is just saying Microsoft and Obisian will be publishing it.

Private Division won't be publishing another Outer Worlds game.

— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) May 19, 2021

The Outer Worlds released in 2019 to solid reception and was largely seen as a nice bit of an old school RPG developed by the now Microsoft-owned Obsidian Entertainment. It managed to take you on a few different adventures with a nice cast of characters and a fun, if somewhat uneven, sense of humor. Now the game will have its big send off with Murder on Eridanos. It’s the second expansion for the game, and it releases today. It also got a unique launch trailer.

The launch trailer is a colorful one that shows off the new area of Eridanos. The trailer takes quite the turn, though, and goes into a full musical act. It helps to break down the general plot, where you will take the role of a detective who investigates the death of Halcyon Helen, which leads into a tangled web of mystery. Along with the new story, there is also some new weapons, some of which you see in the video. You can check it out below.

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC as of today and will release for the Switch version at a later date. The game is also playable on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, which saw some big upgrades recently, and you can read all about that through here.

Obsidian Entertainment has released the opening cinematic for The Outer Worlds’ second expansion Murder on Eridanos. It also announced a release date of March 17th with the expansion available standalone or with the Expansion Pass. Check out the cinematic below.

Players travel to Eridanos following the death of Halcyon Helen. Eridanos is composed of several floating islands and using the Discrepancy Amplifier, you’ll discover hints to solve the overall mystery. From the Grand Colonial Hotel to the groves of Rizzo, there’s something strange going down on Eridanos and it’s up to the player to find out what.

Along with new story missions, the expansion adds three new science weapons, the level cap increasing 3, new perks and new flaws for one’s character. The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos will be available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC players next week while Nintendo Switch owners will have to wait till later this year. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Obsidian Entertainment will reveal more details on The Outer Worlds‘ second and final expansion Murder on Eridanos later today. In a new tweet, The Board revealed that the player’s “new job duties” are “almost ready.” Perhaps we’ll receive a release date and reveal trailer.

Thanks to the Expansion Pass’s listing, it’s already known that Halcyon Helen will play some kind of role (and this will apparently be her “final” adventure). Take Two Interactive also already confirmed that Murder on Eridanos would release within this fiscal year. That means it could launch on or before March 31st so there won’t be a long wait.

Switch users will get their hands on it sometime later this year unfortunately. The Outer Worlds is currently available for Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC. It has one expansion, Peril of Gorgon, that’s available for all platforms and contains new areas and weapons along with new story missions. Stay tuned for more details for Murder on Eridanos in the meantime.

The Board is pleased to announce that your new job duties are almost ready, spacer. Stand by for more information arriving tomorrow regarding your upcoming assignments. pic.twitter.com/SFlax5HXdk

— The Outer Worlds (@OuterWorlds) March 10, 2021

Along with updated sales numbers for Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, Take Two Interactive also announced a release window for The Outer Worlds’ next expansion in its recent quarterly earnings. Murder on Eridanos is currently slated to release within this fiscal year, which means by March 31st at the latest. The expansion pass’s listing notes it to be “Halcyon Helen’s final (and finest!) adventure.”

Switch users, meanwhile, will have to wait for sometime in calendar 2021 (meaning later this year). The Outer Worlds currently has one expansion, Peril on Gorgon, which added new story missions, weapons and new areas to explore. It also increased the level cap which should be expected for Murder on Eridanos as well.

The expansion should retail for $14.99 just like the first one, though players can also purchase the expansion pass or $24.99 to obtain both. Stay tuned for more details on a release date in the coming weeks. The Outer Worlds is currently available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.