With Avowed looking like a success for Obsidian, I’m hopeful it can help revive a project I thought was dead. It’s possible that Avowed could even help shape the project, as they are both part of the same fictional world. Several people at Obsidian have expressed their interest in future work related to Avowed, so I’m hopeful this seemingly abandoned game can factor into those talks in some way.

Avowed is a spin-off of Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian’s original CRPG series. While the Pillars games have a dedicated fan base, they haven’t enjoyed the same mainstream popularity as other CRPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire was crowdfunded, which usually means a studio sees a game as too risky to make without getting some money upfront. Hopefully, Avowed’s success is a turning point for the IP and will breathe new life into an abandoned Pillars project.

Avowed Could Revive The Pillars Of Eternity TTRPG

The Pillars TTRPG Was A Backer Reward For Pillars 2

One of the backer rewards from Pillars of Eternity 2’s crowdfunding campaign was a tabletop RPG system based on the Pillars franchise. Initially, things were looking good for the project, first with an abbreviated 30-page guide, and later an alpha version of the rulebook being released. However, this alpha from 2019 was the last official release the game received. While Josh Sawyer – director of both Pillars games – continued to share information about the game on social media, a finalized version of the rules was never released.

Back in 2023, Sawyer shared on Twitter that he was thinking of redesigning the game’s core mechanics. In the two years since, there has still not been a new official release for the TTRPG, but Sawyer is still working on the project as of January 2025, sharing screenshots of the revised rules on Bluesky. Now that Avowed seems to be doing well, I’m hoping this can bring enough momentum for the Pillars TTRPG to finally be released.

Forbes reported that Microsoft is happy with Avowed’s sales numbers so far, and now that people are actually playing the game there is more positive word of mouth surrounding it. This will hopefully create some momentum, not just around Avowed, but the entire Pillars of Eternity franchise. Some recent comments from Obsidian developers connected to the franchise have me hopeful that the TTRPG could be on track to an official release.

Obsidian Developers Have Discussed Doing More With The Pillars IP

Multiple People At Bethesda Have Expressed Interest In The Future Of The Franchise

According to GamesRadar, Josh Sawyer recently said that there is interest at Obsidian in creating a Pillars of Eternity tactics game. While Sawyer didn’t seem confident it would get made, that interest could mean continuing work on the TTRPG. Combat systems for pen-and-paper RPGs share some similarities with tactics games, so this energy could be directed toward finishing the Pillars TTRPG if a tactics game isn’t happening.

Avowed‘s Game Director Carrie Patel has also expressed interest in continuing her work on the series. Although Patel is more likely talking about DLC for Avowed or a potential Avowed 2, the more interest in the Pillars IP at Obsidian, the more likely it seems the TTRPG could be finished. The game could also present a solution to another issue Josh Sawyer mentioned about a potential Pillars 3.

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In an interview with TouchArcade, Sawyer mentioned that he would only be interested in doing a Pillars 3 if it had a larger budget, and also said he’d like it to be turn-based. A TTRPG could be a good way to test out these new turn-based mechanics, and it would also give Sawyer more freedom to design campaigns within the Pillars world without worrying as much about the budget.

Avowed is a fun action RPG, and I wouldn’t be sad if the Pillars IP continued to move in that direction instead of reviving the TTRPG. As a fan of the Pillars franchise, I’m at least happy that more players are falling in love with the world of Eora in some form. Still, I am holding out hope that Avowed has created enough momentum for the series to move forward in multiple ways, including finishing the pen-and-paper RPG.

Sources: Josh Saywer/Twitter, Josh Sawyer/Bluesky, Forbes, GamesRadar, TouchArcade

Avowed is an upcoming RPG release from Obsidian Entertainment, the creative minds behind Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. Avowed will reportedly take place in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity.

Platform(s)

Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC

Released

February 18, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence

Developer(s)

Obsidian Entertainment

Publisher(s)

Xbox Game Studios

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

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