Obsidian Reveals Avowed Will Run At 30 FPS On Xbox, Says 60 FPS Isn't Needed

Avowed, an upcoming RPG from Xbox studio Obsidian, was confirmed to be running at 30fps on Xbox Series X|S hardware by the game’s art director, Matt Hansen. During an interview at Gamescom, Hansen said that “our core target is 30 frames per second bare minimum - that's the expectation.” This game isn’t getting as much hype as other titles, and it definitely didn’t need the negativity this confirmation is likely to bring.

Hansen would go on to add that “It's a first-person, single-player game; you don't necessarily need that 60 frames. That allows us to get a lot juicier with the effects, lighting and all this other stuff.” This is a questionable statement to make, as most gamers generally want their games running at 60fps. It’s also in opposition to the trend of having more performance options available during this console generation.


This situation is similar to that of Starfield, which also launched with a similar frame rate limitation. This aspect of the game caused some consternation online, and will likely do the same for Avowed. However, earlier this year Bethesda did release an update providing a 60fps mode for Starfield, so it’s possible Avowed will get more performance options at a later date.

This feels like Xbox stumbling yet again, when it doesn’t need to. Several games have come out offering bumped up frame rates, in the 40-45fps range. It’s not the ideal 60fps, but it does offer a little more performance in an era where more gamers have access to displays with variable refresh rates. It would certainly prevent a lot of the vitriol that’ll likely stem from this news.

Avowed is scheduled to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC in February of 2025, when hopefully the fun of playing the game can overshadow this frame rate cap.