Avowed director Carrie Patel has left Obsidian Entertainment, the renowned RPG developer, shortly after the release of their latest game. Patel announced on LinkedIn that she has joined Night School, a Netflix-owned studio known for the Oxenfree series, as a game director. Although her new project remains undisclosed, Patel expressed excitement about her new role.
Night School gained fame with the Oxenfree series, with the latest entry being Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals in 2023. The studio also released the Black Mirror spin-off Thronglets earlier this year, amidst an unspecified number of layoffs. Netflix had previously closed another of its studios that was developing a AAA game led by Halo veteran Joseph Staten.
Patel, a veteran at Obsidian for over 11 years, contributed to major titles such as The Outer Worlds and the Pillars of Eternity series. She took over the direction of Avowed after its early development reboot. Initially envisioned as a darker fantasy akin to The Elder Scrolls with a single open world and multiplayer co-op, Patel transformed Avowed into a brighter, unique experience with multiple large maps and a single-player focus.
Avowed - Xbox Developer Direct Screenshots
View 39 Images
Avowed received a mostly positive response, and Patel had hinted at potential expansions or a sequel. However, she will not be involved in Avowed's future development. A recent roadmap outlined minor free updates for the next six months, including a Photo Mode and New Game Plus.
IGN's review of Avowed praised its worldbuilding and character writing, noting, "With awesome worldbuilding and stellar character writing, Avowed reminds me why I fell in love with Obsidian's RPGs in the first place. However, the bigger picture is that it plays it quite safe, with a by-the-numbers fantasy adventure that's more familiar than evolutionary."
Obsidian's next release, The Outer Worlds 2, is set to be detailed at the Xbox Games Showcase in June.
