Microsoft delays RPG Avowed to 2025 because it has too many games coming later this year

Microsoft and the Xbox team have confirmed that Obsidian's new RPG, Avowed, will not be released in 2024 and has been delayed to February 18, 2025. The Xbox social media team confirmed the delay in an announcement that began with the phrase "so many games!" hinting that the delay comes down to too many first-party and key third-party releases on the way this holiday season.

Xbox head Phil Spencer chimed in, adding, "We're proud of what the Obsidian team have accomplished with Avowed and want to make sure they have the best launch possible. We look forward to you enjoying it along with the rest of our lineup of games and updates coming this year and beyond."

According to insiders, development on Avowed is wrapping up, and the delay is purely due to timing - so that the highly anticipated RPG doesn't get lost in a sea of Xbox games.

First-party Xbox games and major expansion releases still to be released in 2024 for PC and console include:

• World of Warcraft: The War Within (August 26, 2024)
• Age of Mythology: Retold (September 4, 2024)
• ARA: History Untold (September 24, 2024)
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred (October 8, 2024)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (October 25, 2024)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (November 19, 2024)
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (2024)
• Starfield: Shattered Space (2024)
• Towerborne (2024)

Throw in the recent S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl delay to November 20, 2024 (which is coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one), and you can see why Avowed is being pushed back to early 2025. However, it's still disappointing as Avowed is the only narrative-heavy single-player RPG in the list. Plus, it's the latest game from the creators of Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds.