“I think there’s an appetite for games that are big sprawling RPGs with a ton of openness,” Patel continues, “but also games that are more curated, but also still maintain these elements of choice, character building, and progression. I’ve been excited to see what we can do as a studio in mixing up those elements.”
This, arguably, is where Skyrim and Fallout New Vegas are different. In terms of sheer size, the Mojave Wasteland may be smaller, but it’s packed more densely with encounters, occurrences, quests, and ambient activities. Similarly, Obsidian wants to create RPGs where everything you do, whether it’s guided by the developer or totally of your own accord, informs the greater narrative and experience. Can an RPG world be too big? Is there such a thing as wasted space? Avowed is seemingly driven by a different kind of design, where quantity is not always superior to cohesion.