Real Reason Obsidian’s Direct Elder Scrolls Competitor Won’t Have a ‘Bloated’ Open World Like Todd Howard’s Skyrim

Set in the rich and expansive world of Eora, Avowed aims to deliver a rich RPG adventure that combines storytelling, breathtaking landscapes, and deep exploration. The game is set to launch on February 18th and invites players to explore an open world filled with mysteries and secrets. With its focus on detailed quests and an engaging world, many have already begun comparing it to the beloved Skyrim.

However, it looks like Avowed is taking a different approach to open-world design. Recently, the game’s artist David Presnell shared insights about the game and how the team is designing its open world. Rather than following in the footsteps of games like Skyrim, the team is looking to provide a smaller, more focused world where every corner is filled with purpose and depth.

Avowed Wants to Avoid Key Pitfalls of Skyrim‘s Open World

Skyrim is one of the greatest RPGs of all time as it provides a vast open world to explore, filled with various quests, encounters, and choices that will lead to different endings. The game has a wide variety in the ecosystem of its open map, from the icy tundras to the cities filled with crowds, providing a sense of freedom to the players.

Even though the game is an undeniable success, many players noticed that the sheer size of the open world sometimes feels empty and lackluster. While it was beautiful, it often lacked meaning, existing simply to fill out the map. As great as the game is, some areas can be skipped without players missing much.

However, unlike Skyrim, Avowed is looking to take a more refined approach to open-world design. The game wants to showcase a world that is rich in detail but not unnecessarily large. In an interview, lead environment artist David Presnell explained that the goal was not just to fill the map with various beautiful locations, but to ensure that each area was meaningful. He said:

We don’t want to have those empty, meaningless spaces just to have them, just to bloat the world itself.

He further emphasized that the team has developed every area with purpose. This is to ensure that the player’s curiosity to explore the unknown is always rewarded with something substantial, whether it’s a side quest with a unique story or a scenic location that feels lived-in and worth discovering. The design philosophy promises a world that feels real, rather than one that’s just filled with filler.

Obsidian Wants to Focus on Quality Rather than Quantity

Obsidian Entertainment knows what it is doing, having created successful titles like Pillars of Eternity and Fallout: New Vegas. Avowed is even set in the world of Pillars of Eternity and invites players back to the world of Eora. After hearing the interview, it is clear that the developer team is focusing on quality rather than the sheer size of the world.

While Elder Scrolls V offered a vast and sprawling land for players to explore, Avowed wants to keep the game’s world smaller and full of impactful decisions. Developers want to make every location, every dungeon, and every encounter in the game feel relevant to the player’s journey.

As the February 18, release date for the game approaches, it has become evident that the game is shaping up to be a more focused and rewarding experience than many of its open-world RPG predecessors. While Bethesda set the standard for how immersive an open-world game should be, Obsidian is looking to refine the formula even further.

In the end, if the game can live up to its promise and fulfill high expectations, it could redefine what players expect from open-world RPGs. Additionally, the insights from the developers have made it clear that bigger isn’t always better.