The Outer Worlds

It doesn't look like Obsidian Entertainment has any plans to make a third entry in The Outer Worlds series, as a sit-down interview with Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier reveals the team's future plans.

After releasing three games in one year (Avowed, Grounded 2, The Outer Worlds 2), studio head Feargus Urquhart states the team will be trying to get its development times down to three or four years. This is after the two RPGs it launched in 2025 took over six years to come together.

By reducing its development times, it wishes to focus on both big and small projects. Schreier reveals that a third game in The Outer Worlds franchise is not part of those plans, but more games in the Avowed universe are.

Urquhart shares that both The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed failed to meet the sales targets set by Microsoft. "They’re not disasters, he then added. "I’m not going to say this was a kick in the teeth. It was more like: 'That sucks. What are we learning?"

The Outer Worlds 2 launched for PS5 on the same day as Xbox Series X|S and PC, while Avowed will be ported to PS5 later this month, on 17th February. The hope within the team will be that it can accrue more sales and meet those sales expectations, as more Avowed titles are part of Obsidian's future plans.

The post-launch DLC for The Outer Worlds 2, which spans two expansions, will still be released, and Grounded 2 will continue to be supported.

The disappointment attached to the two RPGs it launched last year has led Obsidian to "think a lot about how much we put into the games, how much we spend on them, how long they take". This has led Urquhart to push for three-to-four-year development timelines.

Obsidian has always been commended for releasing three games in the span of a year, but internally, this wasn't seen as a good thing. The developer's support teams were "stretched thin", with staff quickly jumping from one project to the next. "It’s not good to release three games in the same year. It’s the result of things going wrong," said Josh Sawyer, studio design director at Obsidian. It doesn't wish to repeat the "Year of Obsidian".

Would you want another Outer Worlds game after the second one? Let us know in the comments below.

[source bloomberg.com]