A profile of game studio Obsidian, which Microsoft acquired in 2018, as it seeks to shorten development times and cut costs after releasing three titles in 2025
Microsoft's Obsidian Entertainment is searching for ways to make games more quickly and on smaller budgets.
Bloomberg Jason Schreier
Related Coverage
- Obsidian isn't making Outer Worlds 3 but will work on more games in the Avowed universe, despite ‘disappointing’ sales Video Games Chronicle · Chris Scullion
- Obsidian plans faster game development under Xbox using some old tricks Neowin · Pulasthi Ariyasinghe
- Obsidian has no plans to make The Outer Worlds 3, likely due to poor sales Engadget · Lawrence Bonk
- One of Microsoft's biggest Xbox studios is forging a new path after development struggles, missing profit targets — “What are we learning?” Windows Central · Brendan Lowry
- Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 failed to meet expectations for Obsidian, but Grounded 2 was a hit, and the future is looking positive for the Pillars of Eternity universe PC Gamer · Shaun Prescott
- The Outer Worlds 3 Isn't Happening, Says Obsidian, While the Avowed Universe May See More Games GamingBolt · Ravi Sinha
- Xbox Franchise Is Ending After Disappointing Sales of New Game Comic Book · Logan Moore
- The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed Underperformed, No More Outer Worlds Games Planned TechRaptor · Joseph Allen
- The Outer Worlds 2 sounds like it's not getting a follow-up any time soon, but Obsidian plan to give Avowed some wacky cousins Rock, Paper, Shotgun · Mark Warren
- Obsidian's Latest RPGs Didn't Sell Well, So Don't Expect The Outer Worlds 3 Kotaku · Zack Zwiezen
- Grounded 2 Was Obsidian's Only Hit In 2025, Avowed And Outer Worlds 2 Fell Short TheGamer · Josh Coulson
- Xbox's Obsidian Seemingly Kills The Outer Worlds, Third Game Not Planned Push Square
- Microsoft's 30% Profit Margin Pushed Xbox Studios to Launch Games on PS5 Tech4Gamers · Abdullah Waseem
- Obsidian says there will be more Avowed, but no plans for Outer Worlds 3 yet KitGuru · Matthew Wilson
- Indie Game Dev Talks Management Hurdles & Multi-Platform Publishing Challenges 80 Level · Dave Gagné
- Obsidian claims The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed failed to meet sales expectations Gamereactor UK · Ben Lyons
- Gaming's new coming-of-age genre embraces ‘millennial cringe’ The Guardian · Keza MacDonald
- Xbox Officially Kills Off Fan-Favorite Franchise Screen Rant · Paul Farrelly
- Beloved PS5, PS4 RPG Series Sadly on Ice for Now PlayStation LifeStyle · Zarmena Khan
- Avowed started as a multiplayer cross between Skyrim and Destiny Polygon.com · Marloes Valentina Stella
- Fractional offers flexible consulting model for game studios GamesBeat · Dean Takahashi
- Obsidian boss says there are no plans for The Outer Worlds 3 following missed targets for the 2025 sequel GamesIndustry.biz · Vikki Blake
Discussion
-
Pure Xbox
Ben Kerry
on x
Obsidian Says Two Of Its 2025 Titles Didn't Meet Sales Targets, Vows To Learn For The Future
-
r/projecteternity
r
on reddit
Jason Schreier: Obsidian is planning more games set in Eora
-
r/rpg_gamers
r
on reddit
No Plans for Outers Worlds 3, but Avowed in Plans
-
r/GroundedGame
r
on reddit
Grounded 2 was a big hit
-
r/avowed
r
on reddit
Avowed failed to meet sales expectations
-
r/theouterworlds
r
on reddit
Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 failed to meet sales expectations
-
r/kindafunny
r
on reddit
Inside Xbox, a Game Studio Is Trying to Reinvent Itself. Obsidian Entertainment
-
r/gaming
r
on reddit
Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 failed to meet sales expectations
-
r/PS5
r
on reddit
Jason Schreier on Bloomberg confirms Obsidian's plan for the next few years is to work on projects big and small. …
-
r/xbox
r
on reddit
Bloomberg: Inside Xbox, a Game Studio Is Trying to Reinvent Itself
-
@toadsanime.lostincult.co.uk
Ryan T. Brown
on bluesky
Obsidian says that Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 both underperformed sales expectations, with no more plans for future Outer Worlds games (though content for OW2 is coming). — Grounded 2, however, was a big hit for the studio. — (Read more at Bloomberg) [image]
-
@jasonschreier
Jason Schreier
on bluesky
Obsidian shipped three games last year: Avowed, Grounded 2, and Outer Worlds 2. Grounded 2 was a hit, but the two RPGs were not, leading to some self-reflection. How to make games in 3-4 years rather than 6-7? This story may be a case study for the entire industry www.bloomber…
-
@knoebel
@knoebel
on bluesky
Jason Schreier Interview with Obsidian: — 2 from 3 games (Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed) did not meet Xbox sales expectations. — Josh Sawyer “It's not good to release three games in the same year. It's the result of things going wrong.” — [1/2] — www.bloomberg.com/news/article…
-
@jasonschreier
Jason Schreier
on bluesky
NEW: I took a trip down to Obsidian Entertainment to talk about their stunning 2025, in which they somehow shipped three games. They were remarkably candid about their successes, their failures, and their plans for navigating the future. — For Businessweek Magazine: www.bloomb…
-
Gameranx
Ryan Parreno
on x
Grounded 2 Was More Successful For Obsidian Than Avowed Or The Outer Worlds 2