While I agree with you, it’s a bit unfair to compare the two.
DE is “just” a point and click pushed to an absurd level of quality, meaning that most of the production can go into managing a story.
OW is an fps, meaning you need a gameplay loop, weapons, balancing, environments, etc etc. It’s also a dark satire, not a serious philosophical work like elysium. Reading 10 pages of text on the nature of violence before you get to shoot your gun would not work.
This doesn’t excuse a weak story, but does explain how it’s much more difficult and costly to fit one in there. (yes bioshock, but those games are the exception in fps games).
I would love a better story, with a tightly integrated story, that would be very difficult to pull off in the current game dev space at this scale.
The Outer Worlds 2 - Official Story Trailer | Xbox Games Showcase 2025 (www.youtube.com) angielski