Avowed Delay Wasn’t Due To Game Quality, Phil Spencer Says

When Obsidian announced Avowed’s delay out of November 2024 to February 2025, the reason given was that it gave the game time to breath on its own against what would’ve been fierce competition. While some fans didn’t believe that to be the case, Xbox head Phil Spencer once again claimed that the decision wasn’t because of the game’s quality.

In an interview with Stephen Totilo of Game File (subscription needed), Spencer said that the company had so many games releasing that it just made sense to move Avowed.

HELP INSIDER GAMING: Take Our 2024 Reader Survey

“We can afford it when we have the Diablo expansion, then Black Ops, then Indy [and the Great Circle],” he said. “We didn’t move it because Obsidian needed the time. They’ll use the time.”

With the game now set to launch on February 18, Avowed will still face competition from games outside of the Microsoft umbrella such as Civilization 7, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Monster Hunter Wilds, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and more. Despite those other game’s releasing, it seems as though Avowed won’t see another delay based on Spencer’s comments.

Spencer added that discussions with Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty and the Game Pass team helped them spread out the releases of their games to where they see a fit.

When it launches, Avowed will be available exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC. The game will also be a day one release on Game Pass.

For more Insider Gaming, check out when to expect Rebellion’s Atomfall to release in 2025. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.