Avowed launched in early access yesterday to generally positive reception. The latest RPG from Obsidian, known for games like Fallout New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, launched exclusively on Xbox and Steam with a premium early access period — because it's 2025. Avowed's early access will set you back an additional $23 ahead of its Xbox Game Pass general launch next week, giving Microsoft an additional revenue stream to make up for cannibalized sales from its Netflix-like gaming subscription service. But what if you're someone who wanted to pay for early access and enjoy the benefits of your pricey Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription? To you, Microsoft is unfortunately saying "no thanks."
Avowed is an action RPG in a first-person perspective, set in the Pillars of Eternity universe. It sports Obsidian's typical gameplay stylings, including choice and consequence via a branching story narrative, player expression with playstyle choices, in a large and satisfyingly-explorable world. The game should be an idea Xbox Cloud Gaming partner, given its gameplay format, but Microsoft seems to disagree.
