I still remember the exact moment I read the headline. It was 2024, and I had been counting down the months to Avowed. Then the news hit: Obsidian Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios had pushed the fantasy RPG to February 18, 2025. My heart sank. I had already cleared a space in my calendar, you know? But now, sitting here in 2026, with the game long since launched, I can look back at that delay with a strange mix of gratitude and sympathy. It was a double-edged sword, and I felt both edges.
Microsoft's stated reason made sense on paper. They wanted to give players' backlogs some breathing room. And honestly? Late 2024 was stacked. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion, Starfield's Shattered Space DLC—all of them were demanding attention. Avowed, despite being set in the established Pillars of Eternity universe, was still a new IP. It needed space to breathe. So the delay wasn't some random act of cruelty. It was a strategic retreat.
But here's the thing about strategic retreats: they only work if you come back stronger. The delay gave Obsidian more time to polish Avowed, but it also raised the stakes. When a game gets extra months, players don't just expect 'good.' They expect 'great.' They expect a combat system that feels spectacular, not just serviceable. And after the mediocre reception of Avowed's deep dive showcase during the Xbox Developer Direct in January 2024, Obsidian had already promised to improve things. The delay only turned up the heat.
I remember the early combat impressions. They were... lackluster. Not terrible, but not the kind of thing that makes you cancel your weekend plans. The delay gave Obsidian a chance to refine it, but it also meant that if the combat still felt flat at launch, the fall would be harder. That's the cruel math of delays. You get more time, but you also get more expectations. It's a loan against future goodwill.
Let me put it in a table, because I love tables:
| Pros of the Delay | Cons of the Delay |
|---|---|
| Avoided competition with major late 2024 releases | Raised expectations to a boiling point |
| More time to polish combat and systems | Combat had to be spectacular, not just okay |
| Chance for a bug-free launch and better PC optimization | Any technical issue would be judged more harshly |
| Gave players' backlogs breathing room | Made the wait feel even longer for fans |
That last one? Ouch. But it's true.
In 2026, I can say this with the clarity of hindsight: the delay was probably the right call. Not because it guaranteed perfection, but because it gave Obsidian a fighting chance. I've seen delayed games launch broken, and the criticism is always brutal. When a game is delayed, the internet sharpens its knives. Every frame drop, every glitch, every awkward animation becomes a referendum on the developer's work ethic. It's not fair, but it's real.
Avowed needed a smooth, bug-free launch. It needed proper PC optimization on day one. It needed a combat system that felt like it belonged in a 2025 RPG, not a 2019 prototype. And from what I've played since February 18, 2025, the extra months weren't wasted. The team at Obsidian clearly cared. They didn't just sit on their hands. They were in the kitchen, tasting the soup, adding spices. 🍲
But I also remember the pressure. Delays are not magic. They are bets. You bet that more time will make the game better, and you bet that players will still care when it finally arrives. Sometimes that bet pays off. Sometimes it doesn't. The only thing you can do is bridle your expectations and hope for the best.
So here's my advice, even now in 2026: if you're waiting for a delayed game, don't let the extra time turn into a fantasy. Don't imagine a perfect experience that no developer can deliver. Instead, imagine a team of humans trying to make something worth your time. That's what Obsidian was doing. That's what Avowed was. And that's why, looking back, I'm glad they took the delay. It wasn't a betrayal. It was a deep breath.
And hey, if the game had launched in November 2024 and been a mess, we'd all be saying, 'They should have delayed it.' So maybe the delay was always the right answer. Maybe we just hate waiting. I know I do. But I also know that good things take time. Sometimes, a delay is just a promise that someone is still trying. And in 2026, that's a promise I can respect.
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