The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed Underperformed Financially, Says Obsidian

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As a big fan of Obsidian, I was so excited last year when they released three major games – The Outer Worlds 2, Avowed, and Grounded 2 (even though Grounded 2 was still in early access). It’s a bit of a bummer to hear, though, that even with pretty good reviews for The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed, they didn’t sell as well as Microsoft had hoped, according to studio head Feargus Urquhart in a recent Bloomberg interview.

Urquhart explained that recent challenges weren’t catastrophic setbacks, but rather learning opportunities. He described them as frustrating, but valuable for growth. At the same time, the game Grounded 2 has become quite popular, and a recent major update, ‘The Toxic Tangle,’ has made it even better.

Because of this, Obsidian Entertainment is rethinking its game development process. As studio head Josh Urquhart puts it, they’re carefully considering the resources – time and money – they invest in each game. One key change is shortening development cycles to three or four years per game, a significant reduction from the six-plus years required for titles like Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2.

Honestly, as a fan, I’ve always felt like those super long development cycles – five, six, even seven years – are a bit much. It seems like the industry just sort of accepted that as the norm. But it’s cool to hear that Grounded 2 was made in just two years! Apparently, it wasn’t even planned until the team at Eidos Montreal suggested it back in 2023, which is pretty amazing.

Although Obsidian might consider using outside help for some tasks in the future, don’t anticipate them launching three games within a single year again. According to Pentiment director Josh Sawyer, spreading out releases is crucial for managing resources and preventing team burnout. Releasing three games so close together indicates underlying problems and isn’t a sustainable practice.

Obsidian Entertainment is currently developing four new games that haven’t been revealed yet. Many fans are hoping for a remastered version of Fallout: New Vegas, and rumors suggest it might happen. While waiting for that, Obsidian will continue to update Grounded 2 and will release Avowed on PlayStation 5 on February 17th.

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2026-02-03 20:41