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

Carrie Patel, the director behind the recently launched RPG Avowed, has left Obsidian Entertainment to join Night School, a Netflix-owned studio known for the Oxenfree series. Patel announced her transition on LinkedIn, expressing excitement about her new role as Game Director at Night School, though the details of her upcoming project remain under wraps.

Night School gained recognition with the Oxenfree series, the latest installment being Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals in 2023. The studio also released Thronglets, a Black Mirror spin-off, earlier this year amidst layoffs. This comes after Netflix shut down another of its studios, which was working on a AAA game led by Halo veteran Joseph Staten.

Patel, a long-time member of Obsidian, spent over 11 years contributing to high-profile titles like 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-inspired open world with multiplayer co-op to a brighter, single-player experience with multiple large maps.

Avowed - Xbox Developer Direct Screenshots

View 39 Images

The reception to Avowed was largely positive, with Patel initially discussing potential expansions or a sequel. However, she will not be part of Avowed's future development. A roadmap released last week outlines 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 but noted that it plays it safe, offering a familiar rather than evolutionary fantasy adventure.

Obsidian's next major release, The Outer Worlds 2, is set to be detailed at the Xbox Games Showcase in June this year.