You can't romance your Avowed companions because Obsidian didn't want the RPG's platonic relationships to suffer
Why won't Avowed feature romance options?
Avowed won't feature romance options because the developers wanted to focus on building meaningful relationships with companions, whether romantic or not4. They chose to prioritize creating a well-developed story, meaningful choices, and consequences in the game rather than incorporating romance as a feature.
How did Obsidian ensure meaningful non-romance paths in Avowed?
Obsidian ensured meaningful non-romance paths in Avowed by focusing on developing companions as characters closely tied to the central story and investing in their relationships. The developers wanted to make sure that if they were to include romance, it would be done exceptionally well or not at all. Instead, they chose to concentrate on other aspects of companions to provide players with a fulfilling and complete experience.
What led to the decision to exclude multiplayer in Avowed?
The decision to exclude multiplayer in Avowed was due to Obsidian Entertainment's focus on delivering a strong single-player experience. Studio head Feargus Urquhart initially pushed for multiplayer but later admitted it was the wrong decision5. The team realized that multiplayer was outside their expertise and shifted their focus back to a single-player RPG to ensure they delivered on player expectations for an Obsidian game.