Avowed game director Carrie Patel has departed from the acclaimed RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment, mere months following the release of their latest title.
In a recent update to her LinkedIn profile, Patel announced she has started a new position at Night School, the Netflix-owned developer known for the Oxenfree series of narrative adventure games.
"I'm excited to share that I'm beginning a new role as Game Director at Night School: A Netflix Game Studio!" Patel stated in a brief post. Her new position at Night School will once again involve directing a game, although the specific project she is leading has not yet been revealed.
Night School is renowned primarily for its Oxenfree games, the most recent installment being Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals in 2023. Earlier this year, the Netflix-owned studio released the Black Mirror spin-off Thronglets, a period which also saw the company undergo an undisclosed number of staff layoffs. Months prior, Netflix completely shuttered another one of its internal studios that was developing a AAA game under the leadership of Halo veteran Joseph Staten.
Patel was a long-time veteran at Obsidian, the developer behind Avowed. Over her 11-year tenure, she held various senior roles on major projects, including the Xbox sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds and the classic Pillars of Eternity series.
More recently, Patel assumed the director role for Avowed after the game underwent a significant reboot early in its development cycle. The initial vision for Avowed featured a darker fantasy tone, closer to The Elder Scrolls, with one vast open world and multiplayer cooperative play.
Ultimately, Patel guided the project towards its final form: a visually brighter and more distinctive experience with multiple large, separate maps to explore and a focus on a purely single-player campaign.
Avowed - Xbox Developer Direct Screenshots
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Critical reception for Avowed was generally positive, and Patel had previously discussed potential future paths for the franchise, including downloadable expansions, a full sequel, or a combination of both. Now, however, she will not be involved in those future developments.
A development roadmap for Avowed, announced last week, outlines a series of mostly minor free updates planned for the next six months. These additions will include a Photo Mode and a New Game Plus feature.
"With compelling world-building and superb character development, Avowed reminds me why I became a fan of Obsidian's RPGs," notes IGN's review of the game. "That said, the overall experience feels relatively safe, offering a conventional fantasy adventure that feels more familiar than groundbreaking."
Obsidian's next scheduled release is The Outer Worlds 2, which is set to be featured in a detailed presentation at this year's Xbox Games Showcase in June.
