In a recent Bloomberg interview, Carrie Patel, Avowed's second game director, revealed the turbulent development journey that saw two years of work abandoned. Initially, Obsidian Entertainment envisioned Avowed blending Destiny's cooperative exploration with Skyrim's vast open-world adventure, complete with multiplayer features.
The 2020 teaser trailer sparked fan excitement, but it hid a stark truth: the game was far from finished. Months later, the team scrapped the project entirely, restarting from scratch. That teaser now remains a glimpse of a prototype that bears no resemblance to the final game.
After the reboot, Carrie Patel took the helm as game director, steering Avowed away from its Destiny and Skyrim roots. She ditched the open-world and multiplayer elements, opting instead for Obsidian’s hallmark zone-based design and a gripping single-player narrative tied to the Pillars of Eternity universe.
The mid-development restart posed massive challenges, comparable to filming a movie without a script. Teams persevered through uncertainty as leadership worked to unify the project’s vision. Despite the obstacles, four more years of development culminated in Avowed’s release.
