Carrie Patel, the director of the recently launched RPG Avowed, has left Obsidian Entertainment to join Night School, a Netflix-owned studio known for the Oxenfree series. In a LinkedIn update, Patel announced her new role as Game Director at Night School, though details about her upcoming projects remain under wraps.
Night School gained fame through its narrative-driven Oxenfree games, with the latest installment, Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals, released in 2023. The studio also launched Thronglets, a spin-off from the Black Mirror series, earlier this year, amidst layoffs and the closure of another Netflix studio that was developing a AAA game led by Halo veteran Joseph Staten.
Patel, who spent over 11 years at Obsidian, contributed to several acclaimed titles including The Outer Worlds and the Pillars of Eternity series. She took the helm of Avowed after its early development reboot, steering it away from a darker fantasy akin to The Elder Scrolls towards a brighter, more distinctive setting with multiple explorable maps and a single-player focus.
Avowed - Xbox Developer Direct Screenshots
View 39 Images
Avowed received a mostly positive response, with Patel expressing interest in expanding the franchise through expansions or a sequel. However, she will not be involved in Avowed's future, as a development roadmap announced last week outlines minor free updates including a Photo Mode and New Game Plus over the next six months.
IGN's review of Avowed praised its worldbuilding and character writing, noting, "With awesome worldbuilding and stellar character writing, Avowed reminds me why I fell in love with Obsidian's RPGs in the first place. However, the bigger picture is that it plays it quite safe, with a by-the-numbers fantasy adventure that's more familiar than evolutionary."
Obsidian's next major release, The Outer Worlds 2, is set to be showcased in detail at the Xbox Games Showcase in June this year.
