Obsidian’s Recent RPGs Underperform, Casting Doubt on The Outer Worlds 3
Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 were standout titles in 2025, earning high praise from gamers and critics alike. Many hailed Avowed as one of the top 12 games of the year, while The Outer Worlds 2 was a personal favorite for some. Despite the acclaim for these RPGs developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio reported that the sales figures fell short of expectations.
In a recent feature discussing Obsidian’s busy year—during which they launched three games—studio head Feargus Urquhart shared some disappointing news regarding Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2. He noted that while the games weren’t failures, they didn’t perform as well as hoped. “They’re not disasters,” Urquhart remarked. “I’m not going to say this was a kick in the teeth. It was more like: ‘That sucks. What are we learning?’” The underwhelming sales have prompted Urquhart to reconsider the development process, particularly the time and resources invested, as both titles took over six years to create. He aims to reduce development time to three to four years for future projects.
On a brighter note, Grounded 2, primarily developed by Eidos, was completed in about three years and has proven to be a significant success for Obsidian. This highlights that lengthy development cycles aren’t always necessary for achieving strong sales. Additionally, the ongoing boycott of Xbox due to its connections to controversial geopolitical issues may have impacted the sales of all Obsidian’s titles.
Looking ahead, Obsidian has decided not to pursue The Outer Worlds 3 following the sequel’s sales performance. However, the studio confirmed that they are working on new content for The Outer Worlds 2 and plan to create future games set in the same universe as Avowed, which shares a world with the Pillars of Eternity series.
“Our job, all of us here, is to go make games that people want to play and buy,” Urquhart stated, emphasizing the studio’s commitment to delivering engaging experiences that resonate with players.
