Avowed will run at a “baseline” of 30 frames per second throughout Xbox Series X and S, developer Obsidian has confirmed.
Talking on the Iron Lords Podcast, artwork director Matt Hansen mentioned Obsidian is “focusing on a baseline of 30fps” for the first-person fantasy RPG. 60fps sounds unlikely, nonetheless, even on the extra highly effective Xbox Series X.
Explaining, Hansen mentioned Obsidian determined to go for 30fps with the intention to facilitate fancier visuals, and that as a result of Avowed is a first-person, single-player sport, “you don’t essentially want that 60 frames.”
“We’re focusing on 30 frames per second, naked minimal,” Hansen mentioned. “That’s the expectation.
“It’s a first-person, single-player sport, you don’t essentially want that 60 frames. And that permits us to get rather a lot juicier with VFX and lighting and all this different stuff.
“It’s a trade-off we opted to make comparatively early, and we’re actually pleased with that. The sport’s operating fairly clean for a way visually dense it’s, and that was at all times our aim.”
However, Obsidian remains to be determining the nitty gritty of efficiency: “It’s one of many final stuff you do,” Hansen mentioned.
Avowed is due out in February 2025 on PC and Xbox Series X and S, and joins a listing of Xbox Series X and S video games that launched at 30fps lately. That record contains Bethesda’s Starfield (which now runs at 60fps following a post-launch replace), Arkane Austin’s Redfall (which additionally now runs at 60fps following a post-launch replace), and Ninja Principle’s Hellblade 2, which has but to obtain a 60fps replace.
Certainly, Obsidian’s reasoning for focusing on 30fps echoes feedback made by Bethesda growth chief Todd Howard in explaining why final 12 months’s Starfield launched at 30fps on each Xbox Series X and S.
“I believe it’s going to come as no shock, given our earlier video games, what we go for,” Howard mentioned at the time. “All the time these big, open worlds, totally dynamic, hyper element the place something can occur. And we do need to do this. It is 4K within the X. It is 1440 on the S. We do lock it at 30, as a result of we would like that constancy, we would like all that stuff. We do not need to sacrifice any of it.
“Luckily on this one, we have got it operating nice. It is typically operating approach above that. Generally it is 60. However on the consoles, we do lock it as a result of we desire the consistency, the place you are not even interested by it.
“And we do not ever need to sacrifice that have that makes our video games really feel actually, actually particular. So it feels nice. We’re actually pleased with the way it feels even within the warmth of battle. And we want that headroom as a result of in our video games, actually something can occur.”
As was the case with current Xbox video games, Avowed might find yourself with a 60fps efficiency mode post-launch. There are additionally questions on Avowed ultimately launching on PlayStation 5, following Obsidian’s Pentiment and Grounded leaping to the rival console this 12 months, and Microsoft’s confirmed plans to launch Id Software program’s Doom: The Darkish Ages and MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle on PS5 subsequent 12 months.
Avowed was delayed to February “to present gamers’ backlogs some respiration room,” Microsoft has mentioned. It was due out later in 2024. IGN lately went hands-on with Avowed and we got here away impressed.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.