Summary
A few days ago, The Verge’s Tom Warren reported that the long-awaited Obsidian fantasy action-RPGAvowedwas going to be delayed from its rumored November 2024 release date, and pushed into early 2025. Soon after, Xbox confirmed that report, officially stating thatAvowedhad been delayed to July 17, 2025. In its official confirmation, Xbox claimed that this decision was made “to give players’ backlogs some breathing room,” while also hinting at the publisher’s upcoming slate of exclusives, all of which are coming toXbox Game Passon launch.
In The Verge’s original report, it was said that Xbox would delayAvowedto 2025 to clear it fromSTALKER 2’s new November release window, itself having just received another delay. While there’s probably some truth to this,STALKER 2is far from the only major first-party title hittingXbox Game Passthis Fall, and while many fans were looking forward toAvowed, Game Pass is likely going to be just fine without it this year.
Xbox Game Pass' Fall 2024 Line-Up Can Survive Without Avowed
Xbox Game Pass Still Has Plenty of Games Lined Up for Fall 2024
Before its recent delay, it was rumored thatAvowedwas targeting a November 2024 release date. Though it’ll be disappointing for many that it’s no longer going to hit that window, there are plenty of long-awaited Xbox games set to release around the same time. One of the earliest first-party games set to launch on Xbox Game Pass around the Fall isAge of Mythology: Retold, a remake of a real-time strategy classic that launches on September 4. The strategy genre is actually set to dominateXbox Game Pass' September 2024 line-up, with bothFrostpunk 2andAra: History UntoldjoiningAge of Mythology: Retoldlater in the month.
Though just one Xbox Game Pass day-one title is confirmed for October 2024 so far, it’s a pretty gigantic one.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6is set to hit Xbox Game Passon its October 25 release day, marking not just the firstCall of Dutyentry but the first Activision-Blizzard game in general to hit the subscription service on day one. Moving into November, Xbox Game Pass is already set to receiveFlight Simulator 2024and the aforementionedSTALKER 2, which is finally set to release after years of waiting, and four major delays.
And those are just the Xbox Game Pass day-one titles with concrete release dates.Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis still slated for a 2024 release, despite fans seeing only brief glimpses of gameplay earlier this year. Stoic Studio’s side-scrolling action-adventureTowerborneis also still slated for a 2024 launch. Even in the absence ofAvowed, and even if these two titles don’t end up launching this year, Xbox Game Pass' Fall 2024 line-up is still looking strong.
Avowed’s Delay Allows For Some Breathing Room on Xbox Game Pass
In the end, delayingAvowedcould end up being the best thing for it. Though it won’t quite offer an RPG experience on the same scale as somethinglikeThe Witcher 3orSkyrim,Avowedis still going to give fans a lengthy 20-25 hour story, and a further 20+ hours of side content to enjoy. All of that deserves its own time in the spotlight, which the game’s recent delay could offer.
DelayingAvowedcould also be highly beneficial for other titles that would have otherwise launched in its shadow. Xbox Game Pass has always been a great platform for Indie games, giving intrigued players the chance to test out a game without needing to drop any additional cash.Avowed’s delay now means there’s plenty of room for those smaller Indie experiences to shine on Xbox Game Pass during the Fall.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
