Summary
While it’s been a staple ofBioWareRPGs since the 1990s, more and more games in the genre are embracing romance. As we saw withBaldur’s Gate 3, letting players hook up with their companions can prove to be wildly popular, and can perhaps become the most loved aspect of the game.
Obsidian, however, has largely ignored this trend. The studio has included romances in some of its games, but for the most part, everything is platonic. WithAvowed, itwon’t be any different, and game director Carrie Patel is confident that this is the right move for the game.
Avowed Director Explains Why There Won’t Be Any Romances
“It’s a ton of work,” says Patel, speaking toGamesRadar. “You want to make sure you do it right. And part of that is also you want to make sure that a player who opts not to romance but still wants to have a very deep relationship with those companions gets to have just as thorough and meaningful an experience on a friendship or ally path as [if] they went on a romance path.”
That’s why Avowed won’t include romances, as she puts it: “We felt that we could best tell our companions' stories and our players' relationships with them without the romance option.”
This isn’t too surprising, since Obsidian’s previous RPGs, such as The Outer Worlds and the first Pillars of Eternity, didn’t have romances either. Some games have, such as Neverwinter Nights 2 and Pillars of Eternity 2, but it’s hardly what comes to mind when you imagine an Obsidian RPG.
Even if Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2’s “romances” don’t really count, they’re great and you should play it.
Avowed is set to launch on July 19, 2025. It wasdelayed from its initial 2024 release dateso it would have more breathing room outside of the stacked October and November launch window.
Avowed
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands - an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
