"Avowed Director Leaves Obsidian for Netflix's Oxenfree Studio After 13 Years"

Carrie Patel, the former director of Avowed and a long-time veteran at Obsidian Entertainment, has recently announced her departure from the legendary RPG company. Just months after the launch of Avowed, Patel has taken up a new role as Game Director at Night School, a Netflix-owned studio known for the Oxenfree series of narrative adventures. In a brief update on her LinkedIn page, Patel expressed excitement about her new position, though details about her upcoming projects remain under wraps.

Night School gained fame with its Oxenfree games, the latest being Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals released in 2023. Earlier this year, the studio also launched the Black Mirror spin-off Thronglets, amidst an unspecified number of layoffs. Meanwhile, Netflix had previously shut down another of its studios that was developing a AAA game led by Halo veteran Joseph Staten.

During her 11-year tenure at Obsidian, Patel held various senior roles, contributing to acclaimed titles such as The Outer Worlds and the Pillars of Eternity series. She took the helm of Avowed after its early development reboot, steering it from a darker, Elder Scrolls-like fantasy with a single open world and multiplayer co-op to a more vibrant, unique single-player experience featuring multiple large maps.

Avowed received a mostly positive reception, and Patel had envisioned a future for the franchise, which could include expansions or a sequel. However, she will not be part of Avowed's ongoing development. A recent roadmap outlined minor free updates for the game over 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 venture, The Outer Worlds 2, is set to be showcased in detail at this year's Xbox Games Showcase in June.

Avowed - Xbox Developer Direct Screenshots

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