With Avowed's release pushed back to February 2025, developer Obsidian Entertainment gives further insight into the game, as well as addressing its performance on the Xbox console, in a recent podcast interview.
Obsidian Targets 30FPS for Avowed on Xbox Series X
Player Community Debates Obsidian's Decision
In a recent episode of the Iron Lords Podcast on YouTube, Avowed art director Matt Hansen shared details on the expecatations for the game's performance on the console. Hansen revealed that Obsidian Entertainment is targeting 30 frames per second (FPS), at the very least as a bare minimum standard, on Xbox Series X for their upcoming RPG title.
"Performance is one of the last things we figure out, right? And I think we've announced this elsewhere. We are 'core targeting' 30 frames per second bare minimum. Like, that's the expectation," he said. He further explained that, as a "first-person single-player game," Avowed doesn't necessarily require 60FPS, which allowed the team to prioritize more complex visual effects (VFX), lighting, and overall graphical density.
"[Avowed's] a first-person single-player game—you don't necessarily need that 60 frames, and that allows us to get a lot juicier with VFX and lighting and all this other stuff. So, it's a trade-off we opted to make relatively early and we're really happy with that."
He additionally said that Avowed is "running pretty smooth" for how "visually dense" the game is. He added further that it was always the team's goal, "but as far as a greater understanding of performance spec, we're still figuring all that out. It's one of the last things [we] do."
Avowed was revealed in 2020, initially targeting a late 2024 release. The game was recently delayed and is now slated to launch on February 18, 2025, for PC and Xbox Series consoles.
Obsidian's decision regarding Avowed running on 30fps on the console has sparked mixed reactions from players. While Hansen noted that 60FPS isn't as critical for single-player role-playing games, many fans voiced their disappointment. One player commented that "30fps feels like sh*t. It's the bare minimum," while another argued that games using "First person is the one POV where 60fps is the most necessary." Certainly, enclaves of fans harbor growing expectations for higher frame rates in current-gen consoles, which have often promoted 60FPS as a key feature.
There may be a possibility for a 60fps performance mode being integrated in Avowed in the future, similar to Xbox's Starfield, which introduced a performance mode via a patch. It's worth mentioning that Avowed is built using Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), a graphics engine known to push the limits of current console hardware. Other games using UE5, like Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 by Ninja Theory and Xbox Game Studios, have also capped performance at 30FPS, citing the engine's taxing demands on consoles.
Source:
Avowed Seems to Be the Next Victim of an Unfortunate Xbox Trend
