Obsidian without Avowed director. Pillars of Eternity veteran s Netflix studio
Carrie Patel is no longer working at the Obsidian Entertainment studio. The Avowed director was expected to Netflix and the creators of the Oxenfree series.
The director of Oxenfree series. It's not clear what she'll be working on at the new studio, but she'll be the director of a new game.
We don't know the reasons or circumstances for Patel's departure from Obsidian, but this decision caused consternation among the studio's fans. Partly because Netflix has had significant layoffs, including at Night School Studio in February 2025. For Oxenfree fans, this is somewhat good news - some of them were worried that the team might be disbanded.
The information, however, saddened those who enjoy Obsidian Entertainment's RPGs. I don't think anyone will call Avowed the biggest hit of the first half of 2025 (especially with competition like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), but players have been quite warm towards the title. Right now, the game has 77% positive reviews on Steam, with over 9,500 reviews posted.
So it's not surprising that the departure of one of the main people responsible for this RPG didn't impress players who appreciated Obsidian's latest title. Especially since Patel has spent 12 years in the studio and is a veteran of the Pillars of Eternity series - one of the last of the "old crew," appreciated by fans for her contribution to the development of the franchise (via ResetERA/Reddit).
There are even internet s who see her as the "savior" of Avowed, which, after a long and troublesome production process, finally got on track. There is no doubt that this is a huge loss for Obsidian Entertainment, which is currently working on, among other things, the The Outer Worlds. The developer hasn't yet commented on Patel's departure.
