The sudden closure of Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios has understandably left many worried about the future of Microsoft’s other internal studios, such as The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian Entertainment. Perhaps to help dispel fears of Obsidian meeting the same fate, Carrie Patel and Matt Hansen, the director and art director of the upcoming Avowed, have commented on how supportive they feel Microsoft has been throughout development.
“It’s always sad and it always sucks to see studios close and devs lose their job,” said Patel in a recent Eurogamer interview. “I really hope all those people land on their feet, because I know our industry is better with them in it.” However, she doesn’t believe in “living in fear,” adding that she feels a “a strong sense of security in being part of Obsidian” and has a lot of trust in Microsoft’s leadership: “I do want to emphasise that Microsoft leadership and Xbox leadership have also been incredible supportive of what we do, how we make games, and [are] very communicative with us as well.”
Hansen also describes the closures as “unfortunate,” in the Eurogamer interview, but is otherwise “not afraid” about Obsidian’s future under Microsoft. He adds, “The only side effect that I’ve personally felt since Microsoft acquired us is just more support. There’s less unknowns, less financial risk, and so we’re able to take more creative risk—but to do that in a measured way. It’s been a really, really rewarding process.”
As for Avowed itself, the fantasy RPG saw another new trailer at the recent Xbox Games Showcase, and it still otherwise looks like a fun time. It didn’t get a lot of focus, though, and Microsoft hasn’t nailed down an exact release date beyond fall 2024. A blog post from Obsidian did mention a November 12 launch, but that date has since been excised. Whether this is simply because it was shared too early or isn’t set in stone is unclear.
While it’s nice to hear Obsidian is being supported well, there’s not much to offer in terms of reassurance after so many layoffs in recent years. Let’s not forget that Microsoft considered Hi-Fi Rush a success, and yet developer Tango Gameworks was shut down anyway.
