Obsidian Entertainment revealed why Declared players shouldn’t expect romance between its colorful characters.

Romance options in video games have been incredibly popular in recent years, including Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3And Dragon Age: The Veilkeeper all receiving love.

Not only do these romantic options allow players to get closer to their favorite characters, but they can also lead to viral moments – like the infamous bear scene from BG3’s Druid. However, those hoping to find the love of their life in Avowed will return home disappointed.

In a interview with IGNAvowed game director Carrie Patel explained why Avowed won’t feature any romance options:

“We build thoughtful relationships with our companions. Ultimately, I’m personally in favor of making this an option, but I feel like if you’re going to do it, you have to really, really commit and make sure that you’re giving it your all. way that you find pleasant. both true to the character, but also creates an engaging player experience. So it’s not something we do for Avowed, but I wouldn’t say never.

Obsidian Entertainment

Don’t expect to find love in Avowed.

This will be a disappointment for fans hoping to get closer to their favorite characters, especially when games like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and BG3 have proven just how popular the romance mechanic can be.

As Patel points out, romance in games should be a rewarding experience for the player and it should make sense in relation to the plot. After all, forcing romance options and making characters connect with each other for the sole purpose of checking a heart box can have a detrimental impact on the game, especially when done poorly.

However, Patel explained that romance options aren’t completely ruled out, but players shouldn’t expect them at launch. So there might still be hope for loving fans who want to do more than just swing a sword at skeletons.