Xbox head reveals reason behind Avowed delay

Obsidian's new fantasy RPG, Avowed, was originally planned to release this year. In fact, we should be playing the game right now. However, months after announcing the release date, Microsoft made the decision to delay the game. Now, Xbox head, Phil Spencer, has revealed the reason behind the delay.

As we've heard previously, the Avowed delay had nothing to do with quality concerns, or issues with the game. In fact, it sounds like the game didn't need more time at all. Instead, Avowed was pushed back to February 2025 in order to not overcrowd Microsoft's late 2024 release schedule.

In order to ensure Avowed doesn't get lost amongst the flurry of new games releasing in Q4, including Xbox's own major releases like Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones, Avowed was moved from late 2024 to February 2025. Speaking on the decision, Phil Spencer said the following in an interview with Game File:

“We didn’t move it because Obsidian needed the time. They’ll use the time. Matt Booty and I, we plan it out, we talk with the Game Pass team. We said, ‘Okay, let’s make sure we pace this out a little better’.”

Spencer has spoken previously about wanting a major exclusive for Game Pass every quarter. When a situation arises where multiple projects are ready to release in close proximity, it makes sense to spread them out a bit to achieve that goal.

KitGuru Says: I was disappointed Avowed was delayed as that was my big Q4 game, but February isn't too far off. Will you be picking up Avowed when it releases next year?

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