Avowed was revealed in 2020 to much fanfare. Of course, RPGs from Obsidian are always fun, but this looks bigger than anything it's done before. We don't know much about Avowed, other than it being set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, but that could be about to change.
According to information shared on the VGC podcast, Avowed and Hellblade 2 will be Xbox's "next big things" after it launches Starfield later this year. This suggests that the long-awaited RPG could finally appear at an upcoming showcase, possibly giving us a look at its gameplay.
On the latest episode of the VGC podcast, editor-in-chief Andy Robinson shares what he knows about Xbox's game schedule for 2023 (around the 15:45 mark).
"I think the nearest ones to them are Hellblade and probably Avowed," says Robinson. "That's the next big thing for them that they'll be talking about. From my understanding, those two are the closest."
The podcast then goes on to discuss Fable, which has apparently only just entered full production. It's safe to say that we probably shouldn't expect it anytime soon if that is the case.
Yet if Avowed and Hellblade are the next big projects for Microsoft, then it suggests that the company is aware that it needs to make up for 2022's shortcomings. Many complained that Xbox simply didn't ship enough larger games, leaving Xbox Game Pass slightly stagnant. True enough, it platformed some great smaller titles (TheGamer's Game of the Year, Citizen Sleeper, included), but it lacked the big names of PlayStation.
Given what Robinson has shared with us, it's possible then that Xbox's summer showcase will give us another look at Avowed. This will be especially true if Microsoft manages to get Bethesda to ship Starfield in the first half of the year as planned, as the company will then need another big RPG to keep its single-player-loving fans happy. Of course, it was once said that Avowed itself could launch in early 2023, but it's safe to say that this won't be happening anymore.