Obsidian Director Moves to Netflix's Oxenfree Studio After 10 Years

Avowed game director Carrie Patel has left veteran RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment, just a few months after the release of her latest project.

In a LinkedIn profile update, Patel announced she has started a new role at Night School Studio, the Netflix-owned developer behind the acclaimed narrative adventure series, Oxenfree.

"I’m thrilled to share that I’ve begun a new position as Game Director at Night School: A Netflix Game Studio!" Patel wrote in a short post. While her specific project at Night School has not been revealed, she will once again serve as a game director.

Night School is best known for the Oxenfree games, with the most recent entry being Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals in 2023. The Netflix studio released the Black Mirror spin-off Thronglets earlier this year, around the same time it underwent an unspecified number of layoffs. Months prior, Netflix shuttered another of its internal studios, which was developing a AAA title led by former Halo veteran Joseph Staten.

Patel was a long-time fixture at Obsidian, working there for over 11 years in various senior roles on titles like the sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds and the classic Pillars of Eternity series.

She most recently took over direction of Avowed after the game underwent a significant reboot early in development. Originally, Avowed was conceived with a darker fantasy tone akin to The Elder Scrolls, featuring a single vast open world and multiplayer co-op.

Under Patel's leadership, the game evolved into a brighter, more visually distinct experience at launch, featuring several large, separate maps to explore and a completely single-player focus.

Avowed - Xbox Developer Direct Screenshots

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Avowed received a generally positive reception, and Patel had previously discussed potential future directions for the franchise, including expansions, a full sequel, or both. Her departure means she will not be involved in those future plans.

A development roadmap for Avowed announced last week outlined a series of mostly minor free updates planned over the next six months, including the addition of a Photo Mode and a New Game Plus feature.

"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. "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 scheduled release is The Outer Worlds 2, which is set to be showcased in detail at this year's Xbox Games Showcase in June.