I'd be really interested to learn the story behind the game's development because I think it's potentially very funny. Carrie Patel must have been caught in a Fawlty Towers type of farce scenario.
I mean, look at this. The marketing - presumably done by Microsoft - makes it sound like what people romanticise New Vegas as being like:
At the heart of Avowed lies its dedication to player choice. Inspired by the freedom of tabletop RPGs, the game puts the power in your hands. Your decisions ripple across the Living Lands, shaping alliances, influencing factions, and determining the fate of your companions. Whether you negotiate peace, spark conflict, or carve your own path through the chaos, your actions leave a lasting impact on the world of Eora.
This seamless blend of storytelling, exploration, and creativity makes Avowed an unforgettable RPG experience, offering an experience where every choice matters and every discovery feels personal.
What's written there is very straightforwardly not true. Like, that's not even a MrSmileyFaceDude ultra-charitable description of the game - it's just an outright lie. The game doesn't have these features, even in the most basic form. It has player choice in the same way Diablo and Titan Quest do.
I'm guessing that the chain of events is likely something like this:
1. Obsidian get to work on a cheap and lazy multiplayer co-op game, using the PoE setting to save even more money because there's no licensing cost. Patel reckons this'll be a low-effort way to keep the money coming in from Microsoft.
2. Phil Spencer calls to ask how it's going. Patel, in a moment of lucidity, realises that "we're making a co-op shooter that's sort of like first-person Dragon Age 2 combat" sounds terrible. She vaguely says that her team is working on "an RPG". Spencer's head begins to swim with visions of "the next New Vegas".
3. Work continues on the game. Microsoft's expectations swell, while Patel desperately tries to curb them. Spencer whispers in hushed tones to colleagues that Obsidian - "the genius team behind New Vegas" - are working on "the BG3-killer".
4. Patel sees how out of hand this is getting and voids her bowels. She rushes to the team and tells them to take what they've got so far and turn it into a single player RPG, on the double. This is done with the least effort possible, resulting in what we have now.
5. Patel remembers that people like the story in these games. She gathers the brains trust behind The Outer Worlds and asks them to recreate the liquid gold they gave us last time. After extensive thought, they come up with a winning plot: "an evil inquisition is burning and torturing people and the player has to kill lots of them". Patel desperately urges them to make the story less boring. Mustering every ounce of their creative genius, they come up with the following addition: "the player is a Chosen One".
Conducting market research, she watches a review of BG3 on YouTube and sees that people liked the companions. She tasks the team with coming up with some companions. Weeks pass in which the team stretch themselves to the limit, perfecting and refining their ideas. They come up with:
a) the art director's self-insert.
b) the dwarf from Dragon Age.
c) a mage. They can't think of much else for this one.
d) a funny little furry woman who makes sex jokes.
Patel, head in her hands, realises it's too late to fix this. She gives it the green light, because there's nothing else to do now.
6. The heart-stopping moment. Phil Spencer comes to visit, checking out the progress himself. Patel and her team have carefully prepared a trailer that's extremely ambiguous and shows
dialogue options. Spencer throws another million at the project - this is going to be the game of the year.
7. The late 2024 release date approaches, and the ruse falls apart. Spencer asks for an actual copy to check out, and he sees the game that we see today. Dead silence in the room.
8. Spencer tells them to spend two months trying to fix the fucking thing, then puts it out on Gamepass to try and get a bit of cash back.
