# Avowed
Avowed is Obsidian Entertainment's fantasy RPG that released February 2025 and turned into a running online joke as players compared it to Bethesda's Skyrim despite the developer's insistence otherwise. The wider meme cycle covers viral X posts about mismatched expectations, an in-game Easter egg ring that trolls Skyrim, and the 'John Avowed' search engine mix-up.
## Origin
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- **Platform:** X / Reddit (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Obsidian Entertainment (game); meme spread driven by X and Reddit users
- **Date:** 2025
## Overview
Avowed is the online meme cycle around Obsidian Entertainment's February 2025 fantasy RPG, which drew relentless comparisons to Bethesda's 2011 game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim despite the studio pushing back on that framing for years[1]. The game itself is a first-person adventure set in the Pillars of Eternity universe of Eora, with the player cast as the Envoy of the Emperor investigating a mysterious plague[3]. Reviews were generally positive, but the wider internet conversation quickly turned the launch into a running joke about mismatched expectations[3].
Several distinct meme threads grew out of the release window. Viral X posts framed Avowed as a failed Skyrim successor, mockingly ranking it below older Elder Scrolls titles[3]. A separate strain called 'John Avowed' started when Google search results for the release date kept surfacing Indian politician Nitin Gadkari waving next to the February 18 date[2]. Obsidian itself seemed to lean into the Skyrim discourse with an in-game ring called The Packmule's Burden, whose flavor text winks at Lydia, one of Skyrim's most memed-about NPCs[4].
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Avowed?
Avowed is Obsidian Entertainment's February 2025 first-person fantasy RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, and the online meme cycle around its reception and Skyrim comparisons[1].
### Where did Avowed come from?
The game was announced by Obsidian on July 23, 2020 and released in early access on February 13, 2025, with the meme cycle spiking on X and Reddit in the days after launch[3].
### What does Avowed mean?
It is the game's title, but online it also points to the whole meme cycle: Skyrim comparison posts, the John Avowed search mix-up, and the Packmule's Burden ring[2].
### How do you use the Avowed meme?
Common uses include unfavorable comparison edits against Skyrim or Daggerfall, overlaying Nitin Gadkari as John Avowed onto game screenshots, and pointing out in-game Skyrim references[2].
### Is the Avowed meme still popular?
The meme peaked in the February 2025 launch window with several million-view X posts, and activity dropped off after the initial release cycle[3].
### Who is John Avowed?
John Avowed is a nickname the Avowed subreddit gave to Indian politician Nitin Gadkari after Google search results for the game's release date kept displaying him, echoing the 'John Halo' joke about Master Chief[2].
### What is The Packmule's Burden ring?
It is a unique in-game ring in Avowed whose flavor text describes a squire 'sworn to carry the burdens' of his knight, a direct reference to Lydia's infamous Skyrim dialogue line[4].
### Why did people compare Avowed to Skyrim?
Initial expectations from the 2020 reveal read Avowed as Obsidian's answer to Skyrim, so when the smaller-scale RPG shipped, viral posts framed it as falling short of that older Bethesda title[1].
### Did Avowed's director respond to the Skyrim comparisons?
Yes. Director Carrie Patel told Game Informer that The Outer Worlds gave a much clearer idea of Avowed's scope and quest structure than Skyrim did[1].
### When did Avowed release?
Avowed launched in early access on February 13, 2025 for premium edition buyers and had its full release on February 18, 2025[3].
### What was the Toddroll post about Avowed?
On February 14, 2025, X user @Julia_CaSsian posted a Toddroll edit about Avowed that gained over 5.7 million views, 5,400 reposts, and 78,000 likes in a week[3].
## References
1. [https://www.thegamer.com/avowed-director-says-its-more-like-pillars-of-eternity-and-the-outer-worlds-than-the-elder-scrolls-skyrim-comparisons/]()
2. [https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/a-search-engine-mix-up-had-avowed-players-declare-that-an-indian-politician-was-john-avowed-and-theyve-already-made-him-in-game/]()
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/avowed]()
4. [https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/avowed-has-a-skyrim-easter-egg-that-pokes-fun-at-the-rpgs-most-memed-about-companion-npc/]()
5. [https://www.metacritic.com/game/avowed/]()
6. [https://x.com/i/status/1286339203589115904]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/avowed
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