Avowed was originally pitched as Obsidian's take on Skyrim

Todd’s plan

WhenAvowedwas announced three years ago, the comparisons toThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimwere everywhere and inevitable. Skip forward three years to its latest gameplay trailer at this year’sXbox Games Showcase, and Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart has confirmed the game was initially supposed to be the studio’s attempt at making their own version ofSkyrim.

Speaking toPC Gamer, Urquhart said Obsidian were originally pitching “in essence, our Skyrim”, but over the course of development the studio rethought their plans forAvowed. “Bethesda makes an awesome Skyrim. What we do is makeourawesome RPGs, right?” Urquhart said. The studio then pivoted from the hugeopen worldvision they initially had for the game and decided to focus on storytelling instead.

The story in Avowed will revolve around the companions in the game. Unlike Obsidian’s previous games such asThe Outer WorldsandPillars of Eternity(and more importantly unlike Skyrim), companions won’t be optional. PC Gamer also spoke to game director Carrie Patel during their interview, who said that companions were going to feel “integral to the story”. And since they’re tied to the story, they’re also “tied to your party”. PC Gamer asked Patelif companions can die, to which she responded “you’ll have to see”. I suppose if you don’t like a certain companion and don’t want to have to keep travelling with them, death may well an option…