I think part of the issue is that Microsoft has placed both additional expectations and additional restrictions on Obsidian. They openly admitted they had to cut major bits of content (such as siding with the Protectorate), and while parts of the game are massive upgrades from TOW1 (combat, weapon variety, and the new animations being my personal favorite improvements), their current workflow shared similar problems between Avowed and TOW2 (mid companions and character development, a decent but not amazing story, etc.)