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Josh Sawyer on Avowed, Obsidian’s Future, and His Interest in Original IP

In a November 2024 interview, Josh Sawyer explained his advisory work and contributions to Avowed, his preference for original IP, and his recommendations for Pentiment fans.
WorldOriginal IP Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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In a November 2024 interview, Obsidian design director Josh Sawyer said he advised the Avowed team and contributed some writing and system design—but the team leading the game made its day-to-day decisions. On Obsidian’s future, he left the door open to several directions in the Pillars universe while saying he was personally more interested in creating original IP. He did not announce a new game or confirm a sequel.

What Josh Sawyer said about his role at Obsidian

RPG Site published its interview with Sawyer on November 21, 2024, for the second anniversary of Pentiment. Sawyer identified himself as Obsidian’s studio design director and a game director. He described the studio design director position as advisory rather than as authority over every project.

In practice, he said, he reviews projects, offers feedback on systems, narrative, and interface, and asks teams to clarify their goals and intended audiences. The project team decides whether to take that advice. Read the RPG Site interview.

How Sawyer contributed to Avowed

Sawyer said he remained in an advisory role on Avowed, while also contributing some writing and system design where the team needed help. As he put it: “I am in an advisory role still, but I did a little bit of writing on Avowed. I’ve helped out with some system design and things like that.”

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#1 Best Overall
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Avowed | Standard Edition | Xbox Series X|S and Windows Digital Code
  • Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
  • Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
  • Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem
  • Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way
  • Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities.

That describes supplemental contributions, not Sawyer directing the project’s day-to-day work. PC Gamer’s November 26, 2024 report and GamesRadar’s coverage also recapped his advisory role and contributions; the RPG Site interview is the primary source for his comments. PC Gamer’s report · GamesRadar’s report.

What he said about the Pillars universe and Obsidian’s future

Asked about the Pillars universe, Sawyer said that Avowed was where it had gone “for the time being,” while acknowledging that several future directions were possible. He also expressed a personal preference for new settings over returning to existing intellectual property: “I do think that I am more interested in doing original IP necessarily, than existing IP.”

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  • Requires base game, Game Pass Ultimate, or PC Game Pass Membership (Sold Separately)
  • Premium Upgrade includes: Premium Skin Packs: 2 sets of bonus skins for your companions, and access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
  • Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
  • Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem. 
  • Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.      

These comments describe his interest and leave the possibilities open; they do not confirm Pillars of Eternity 3, another Pillars game, or a specific future project led by Sawyer. The interview records what he said in November 2024, not a current account of Obsidian’s project slate.

Why the interview returned to Pentiment

The conversation marked Pentiment’s second anniversary. Sawyer said the game reached a larger audience than he had expected and discussed the team’s attention to player choice and reactivity. He also spoke about the game’s Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 ports: Obsidian’s team worked on them, and the platform holders tested them. Those are his interview-era remarks, not a present-day check of platform availability.

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Rank #3
Sale
Avowed | Premium Edition | Xbox Series X|S and Windows Digital Code
  • Premium Edition includes: Avowed base game, Premium Skin Packs: 2 sets of bonus skins for each of your companions, and access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
  • Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
  • Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
  • Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.
  • Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Sawyer’s recommendations for Pentiment fans

Sawyer named several books for players interested in the history and ideas behind Pentiment:

  • The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis
  • Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher de Hamel
  • The Faithful Executioner by Joel F. Harrington
  • The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

He described Eco’s novel as challenging and dense—“The book is a very challenging book.”—and suggested that the film adaptation starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater can provide a useful primer or sense of its atmosphere before reading the book or playing Pentiment.

Quick Recap

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Avowed | Standard Edition | Xbox Series X|S and Windows Digital Code
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Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.; Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way
$66.49
Bestseller No. 2
Avowed | Premium Upgrade Edition | Xbox Series X|S and Windows Digital Code
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Requires base game, Game Pass Ultimate, or PC Game Pass Membership (Sold Separately); Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.      
$24.99
SaleBestseller No. 3
Avowed | Premium Edition | Xbox Series X|S and Windows Digital Code
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Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.
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