Obsidian Prepares for a Significant Quality Boost: Avowed is approaching, and Obsidian aims to exceed expectations.
After their last presentation months ago, Obsidian showcased the remarkable progress of their work. The starting point for the upcoming RPG is solid, but the technical aspect received heavy criticism and was deemed outdated, disregarding the aesthetic component of Avowed‘s world.
With the release date drawing ever closer, Obsidian is constantly improving the title to ensure the highest possible quality at launch.Obsidian, like every Xbox studio, finds itself in a “complex” situation following the release of Hellblade2, which set a high bar in terms of graphical and technical impact thanks to the talented Ninja Theory team. Managing the high expectations for storytelling and role-playing elements is already complex, but the additional pressure from the technical prowess of competitors makes it even more challenging. For this reason, Obsidian has made a significant decision: to switch to Unreal Engine 5.3, the latest version.
Unreal Engine 5.3’s advantages
Thanks to the collaboration between Obsidian and Coalition, Avowed will transition to the new version of Unreal Engine 5, which offers numerous tools for any talented team. Obsidian can rely on a very powerful and versatile engine, particularly the latest version, which provides new technologies that speed up work on larger structures and maps, introducing a significant level of physics, detail, lighting management, and remarkable optimization. The task won’t be easy, considering the scope and ambitions of the title. However, Obsidian has a notable advantage: Avowed is not open world, which should lighten the optimization workload, especially on consoles.
Developers will highly likely set the final versions at 30 fps to ensure a good balance between playability and visual impact, preserving the original beauty and aesthetics of Avowed’s world. This approach avoids the issues encountered in Immortals of Aveum, which even the developers themselves did not receive well.
Will Obsidian Make It in Time?
As Avowed’s release draws closer, time is running out. However, thanks to the excellent support team from Coalition, the work should be much more “manageable.” This decision, given the proximity to the release date, is particularly risky, but considering Obsidian’s ambitions, the hazard is acceptable and will undoubtedly be worth it. More information about Avowed will be forthcoming, and we will be able to see if the current efforts have yielded the expected results.
Avowed is coming to Xbox Series S/X, PC, XCloud, and day one on Gamepass this fall.
