Xbox’s Phil Spencer really wants you to know Avowed’s delay wasn’t for quality reasons

Obsidian delayed Avowed to make sure other Xbox Game Pass games didn’t crowd it out, which we knew already, but Phil Spencer really wants to make sure you get it

Obsidian

Obsidian delayed Avowed to make sure other Xbox Game Pass games didn’t crowd it out, which we knew already, but Phil Spencer really wants to make sure you get it. The first reports that emerged about Avowed’s delay gave a crowded release schedule as the reason – not quality, as Xbox and Obsidian were both happy with how Avowed played – but Spencer made it a point to say it again in a recent interview with Game File.

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“We didn’t move it because Obsidian needed the time. Matt Booty and I, we plan it out, we talk with the Game Pass team,” Spencer said. “We said, ‘Okay, let’s make sure we pace this out a little better. “

“We can afford [the delay] when we have the Diablo expansion [Vessel of Hatred], then Black Ops, then Indy [and the Great Circle],” he continued. That’s without even taking into account Microsoft Flight Simulator, also landing on Game Pass in November 2024.

Spencer also said that Obsidian will “use the time” afforded by the delay, but he didn’t mention what the team will focus on.

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Avowed being complete and without major bugs might seem like an odd point to emphasize, especially since Obsidian’s previous big-budget RPG, The Outer Worlds, launched in a polished state. However with Microsoft’s first-party studios having published very little in the last few years, perhaps Spencer just wanted to reiterate that Xbox does have games – just not many by its in-house studios at the moment – and remove any doubt about internal issues.

Avowed launches on Feb. 18, 2024, for Xbox and PC via Windows and Steam.