Original story (August 1): according to The Verge's "Notepad" newsletter on Microsoft (paid subscription), Obsidian's first-person action RPG "Avowed" is being pushed back to early 2025. The game itself is said to be in "good shape" to meet its original November release, but Microsoft is sheepish about the overcrowded holiday release schedule.

The Verge cites the postponement of STALKER 2 to November as a potential motive for Avowed's postponement; although GSC Game World is not under the Microsoft umbrella, STALKER 2 will be an Xbox (and PC) exclusive title, at least for premium members, and will be available on the first day of Game Pass. Microsoft will also be releasing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Diablo 4's first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, this fall from Microsoft.

The move makes more sense given how much Microsoft is betting on Game Pass, taking the pressure off publishers from an already crowded fall and instead giving subscribers something to look forward to during the slow months of January and February. Also worth considering is the November release schedule for "Dragon Age: The Veilguard," which was widely announced as part of Microsoft's summer showcase. The power structure is very different from last year's "Starfield" vs. "Baldur's Gate 3" showdown, but perhaps avoiding such a heated RPG showdown was also on the decision-makers' minds.

Avowed in its first pre-rendered trailer in 2020 and long in the cooking, Avowed is a first-person spinoff of Pillars of Eternity, a vividly reminiscent of the pre-rendered world of fantasy environment, and it looks like it will be something special. However, it was recently revealed that Obsidian has gone back to the drawing board to make Avowed's combat "juicier" in response to the criticisms of its initial release.