Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds debuted in 2019 and was largely well-received by fans and critics. It even got DLC in 2020 and 2021, which also went over well, despite some gripes about repetitive combat. For many fans, The Outer Worlds is the spiritual successor to Fallout: New Vegas, another highly regarded Obsidian Entertainment game. The Outer Worlds has supposedly been approved for a sequel, known as The Outer Worlds 2 for now, and it’s currently rumored to be in pre-production.

While The Outer Worlds 2 is sure to be an exciting follow-up to the original game, there are some things that make the sequel a bit more complicated than before. Originally, The Outer Worlds was released for a variety of consoles so many different players could enjoy the game. Now that Microsoft owns Obsidian Entertainment and controls The Outer Worlds IP, there’s a good chance that things won’t be as straightforward when it comes to the release of The Outer Worlds 2.

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Given that The Outer Worlds is an RPG, player choices play a crucial part in how the game is experienced each time. But each ending could affect The Outer Worlds 2 in different ways, so a choice import system could work well for the next game. However, choice imports probably won’t be as easy from The Outer Worlds to The Outer Worlds 2 now that Obsidian is under the Microsoft umbrella.

With Microsoft owning Obsidian Entertainment, players may not be able to directly import their choices from The Outer Worlds. Instead of a direct import, there may be a list of choices players fill out to reflect how their playthrough went. Alternatively, fans of The Outer Worlds who didn’t play on Xbox may want to consider switching to that platform and doing another playthrough there. That way, a direct import could be possible, rather than trying to remember choices and filling out a list.

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Console-exclusive games are by no means a surprise anymore, but it is disappointing when a game that wasn’t an exclusive becomes one for the sequel. Players could enjoy The Outer Worlds on platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and even Nintendo Switch. However, odds are that The Outer Worlds 2 will be console exclusive to Xbox because of the Microsoft acquisition of Obsidian. While this isn’t inherently bad, it is a bit frustrating for fans who didn’t play on an Xbox system.

The Outer Worlds 2 becoming an Xbox-exclusive is really just a growing pain of Microsoft becoming the official publisher of The Outer Worlds and whatever franchise it may create. However, it is disheartening for fans who played on other consoles because they may not be able to invest in PlayStation and Xbox, especially for one game. There may be a bit of a silver lining in the event that The Outer Worlds 2 is available on PC, but that again implies that people have the money for multiple gaming devices.

It’s also possible that The Outer Worlds 2 won’t actually be an Xbox-exclusive title. However, the odds of that happening are very slim, especially considering how common console-exclusive games are and how they drive up sales for different consoles. Given that The Outer Worlds 2 is only rumored to be in pre-production, it’s too soon to say what the game will be about or how Microsoft will deal with the IP. If the success of The Outer Worlds was any indication, though, The Outer Worlds 2 is full of possibilities. What console it’ll end up on is the only real concern.

The Outer Worlds is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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