What you need to know
- Fallout is an apocalyptic RPG franchise created by Interplay and now stewarded by Bethesda.
- Now under Microsoft and Xbox, Bethesda has been busy working on Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, making the prospect of a new Fallout game pretty slim in the near future.
- Obsidian, who built legendary entry Fallout New Vegas, recently signalled interest in returning to the franchise once again.
- However, Obsidian said it would depend on Bethesda and other factors.
Fallout is a legendary post-apocalyptic RPG series currently stewarded by Bethesda and ZeniMax, who are now part of Xbox after a 2021 acquisition. The studio is working on Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI, among other projects, leaving Fallout fans desperate for even the vaguest hope of getting a new Fallout game within the next decade. With Todd Howard's Bethesda seemingly tied up, increasingly, fans are wondering if another Xbox studio may take up the charge.
Obsidian Entertainment, known recently for The Outer Worlds and Grounded, also built Fallout New Vegas. Fallout New Vegas, while buggy at launch, is now widely regarded as one of the best in the entire franchise, with Obsidian's signature biting narrative wit and aggressive attention to player agency.
Fans have been hoping for years that Obsidian may take up the Fallout charge again, in hopes that the team would offer a spiritual or direct sequel to Fallout New Vegas. During Fallout's 25th anniversary celebrations, Obsidian joked on Twitter that its "plate was too full" to work on the franchise, in response to all the petitioning. However, a new interview (via DualShockers) offers some fresh hope to the New Vegas faithful.
Studio head Feargus Urquhart offered some clarification on Obsidian's stance regarding Fallout, emphasizing that they'd "love" to make another Fallout game. The catch is, it would need to line up with Bethesda's desires, developmental timelines, and other logistics.
"Of course, if we ever got the opportunity to make another Fallout game, we'd make it. There's not even a question of whether or not we would do it, it's just 'Will the opportunity arise? [...] I hung around at Interplay for probably an extra year because I wanted to work on Fallout more. I love Fallout."
"At some point we'll start looking into what those next games are going to be, and I would be surprised if Fallout is not on that list. [...] If we were to do Fallout, it has to tie in with what Bethesda is doing with Fallout and a lot of other things, but I would always personally say my hope is that before I ride off into the sunset, I'd love to make another Fallout game."
Considering both Obsidian and Bethesda now find themselves under the Microsoft roof, the prospects of a new Fallout game from Obsidian have never been higher. The fact that Microsoft purchased one of the industry's most legendary IPs in Fallout and has yet to actually even commit to a new mainline project, is strange at best.
As a Fallout fan, I'd hope that in a perfect world, we'd have a studio dedicated entirely to the development of new Fallout games using the latest Bethesda tech powering the upcoming space opera RPG Starfield.
All Fallout games are currently available as part of Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, and remain some of the best RPGs available.
