Avowed Director Leaves Obsidian for Netflix's Oxenfree Studio After 13 Years

Avowed director Carrie Patel has left Obsidian Entertainment, the acclaimed RPG studio, just months after the release of its latest game.

In a LinkedIn update, Patel announced she has joined Night School, the Netflix-owned studio behind the Oxenfree narrative series.

"I'm thrilled to share that I’ve begun a new role as Game Director at Night School: A Netflix Game Studio!" Patel wrote in a brief post. Her new position at Night School will again focus on game direction, though her current project remains undisclosed.

Night School is best known for its Oxenfree series, with the latest entry being 2023’s Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals. Earlier this year, the Netflix-owned studio released the Black Mirror spin-off Thronglets, around the same time it underwent undisclosed layoffs. Months prior, Netflix shut down another of its studios, which was developing a AAA title led by Halo veteran Joseph Staten.

Patel was a longtime member of Obsidian, where she spent over 11 years in various senior roles on titles like the Xbox sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds and the acclaimed Pillars of Eternity series.

More recently, she took over as director of Avowed after the game underwent a major reboot early in development. Originally, Avowed was envisioned with a darker fantasy tone reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls, featuring one vast open world and multiplayer co-op.

Under Patel’s leadership, the game evolved into a more vibrant and distinct experience, now centered around several large, separate maps and a fully single-player journey.

Avowed - Xbox Developer Direct Screenshots

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Avowed received largely positive feedback, and Patel had previously spoken about plans to expand the franchise—through DLC, a full sequel, or both. Now, she will not be involved in its future.

Last week, Obsidian revealed Avowed’s development roadmap, outlining a series of mostly small, free additions planned over the next six months, including Photo Mode and New Game Plus.

"With awesome worldbuilding and stellar character writing, Avowed reminds me why I fell in love with Obsidian's RPGs in the first place," reads IGN's review of Avowed. "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 release is The Outer Worlds 2, which will be unveiled in detail at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase in June.