‘Avowed’ director Carrie Patel has defended the game’s lack of romance options

‘Avowed’ director Carrie Patel has defended the game’s lack of romance options.

The upcoming adventure title - which is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment - will not include any romance system like those seen in other RPGs like ‘Baldur’s Gate III’ and ‘The Witcher’, but the director has now stressed that was never the focus of the game.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Patel said: “It’s a ton of work.

“You want to make sure you do it right. And part of that is also you want to make sure that a player who opts not to romance but still wants to have a very deep relationship with those companions gets to have just as thorough and meaningful an experience on a friendship or ally path as [if] they went on a romance path.”

The director added the team “felt that we could best tell our companions’ stories and our players’ relationships with them without the romance option.”

Patel also noted the lack of a romance system was particularly important since one character was already in a relationship, which she said was vital for their development throughout ‘Avowed’s story.

She explained: “[It] isn't a story that I think you often get to see in a lot of games with a party member who's travelling with you.

“And so one thing players will really get to explore with here is kind of how she navigates having her heart in one place, while knowing that she really needs to be here.”