Bethesda said Fallout 5 was coming many years ago, but the company never specifically said it would make the game internally. According to former Fallout developer Jonah Lobe, he wouldn’t be surprised if Bethesda outsourced Fallout 5 to a different developer.
Speaking on the Kiwi Talkz YouTube channel, the former Bethesda character artist known for designing the Deathclaw said Bethesda Game Studios may simply be too busy right now.
“I think that they’re doing more and more of that already, they’re bigger and bigger than ever,” he said, as reported by GamesRadar. “I feel like The Elder Scrolls 6, the expectations are already beyond the screen here, and they already have their hands full with that.”
Bethesda has a history of bringing in outside developers for its tentpole franchises, as the company enlisted Obsidian for Fallout: New Vegas. 2025’s Oblivion Remastered, meanwhile, was developed by Virtuous. Remakes or remasters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas are said to be in the works now, but it remains to be seen which studio or studios might be handling these.
Even if Fallout 5 is developed outside Bethesda, the studio would no doubt be involved in some capacity. Naughty Dog has said something similar about a potential Uncharted 5, saying a different studio could make the game under Naughty Dog’s oversight.
Also in the interview, another Bethesda veteran who has since left the company, Bruce Nesmith, said Bethesda might be smart to try to launch Fallout 5 in time with a new season of the Fallout TV show.
“Having the game come out while the show is either still running, or still very fresh, would be a huge advantage,” he said.
That way of thinking makes sense, as various Fallout games saw spikes in players related to new seasons of the Fallout TV show. The Fallout TV show has two seasons out so far, with a third on the way now. Exactly how many seasons there will be in total, and when they’ll release, remains to be seen.
In other Bethesda news, the company just announced that Starfield is coming to PS5 on April 7 alongside major updates for the game on all platforms, including a brand-new paid expansion.
