The Outer Worlds 3 isn’t happening, Obsidian confirms
Obsidian has confirmed it has no plans to develop The Outer Worlds 3 after the underperformance of its sequel, as the studio pivots toward shorter development cycles and refocuses on more sustainable future projects.
Obsidian Entertainment has no plans to make a third The Outer Worlds game.
The studio has confirmed that a new instalment in its adventure-RPG series is not in development following the commercial underperformance of The Outer Worlds 2, which launched last year after a lengthy and troubled production.
Speaking as part of a recent Bloomberg interview, studio leadership acknowledged that expectations were not met, prompting a reassessment of where the franchise fits within Obsidian’s future slate.
The news comes amid a broader period of reflection for Obsidian Entertainment, which released three major titles in 2025 alone.
Alongside The Outer Worlds 2, the studio shipped fantasy RPG Avowed and early-access survival sequel Grounded 2 within an eight-month window.
While Grounded 2 proved a commercial bright spot, both RPGs reportedly missed internal targets.
Design director Josh Sawyer described the compressed release schedule as “the result of things going wrong,” adding that launching three large projects in a single year was unsustainable.
He said: “Spacing those releases helps the company manage its resources and not burn everybody out.
“It’s not good to release three games in the same year. It's the result of things going wrong.”
The studio is now prioritising shorter development cycles and tighter scopes, a shift influenced in part by profitability expectations from parent company Microsoft and its Xbox division.
The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler noted: “I don't think anybody really likes five-, six-, seven-year dev cycles. We’ve kind of grown into that.”
While The Outer Worlds appears to be on ice, Obsidian is far from idle.
Support for Grounded 2 continues, Avowed is set to expand to PlayStation 5, and the studio has signalled plans to revisit the Eora universe from Pillars of Eternity.
