A Microsoft-owned studio, aside from Bethesda, may have been working on a new Fallout game that is not likely to be released now, according to a reputable gaming journalist who has been covering the video game industry since the 1990s. Unfortunately, no other details were offered on this Fallout game.
This news comes at a time when fan demand for a new Fallout game has reached a fever pitch. Recent weeks have seen updates, like suspicious activity on Steam and merchandise listings, that have led some fans to believe a Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas remaster announcement was imminent. There was even a countdown for Fallout Season 2’s finale that some fans hoped would lead to the announcement, but it was a 3D mockup of Mr. House’s penthouse to explore instead.
A Fallout Game May No Longer Be in the Works
During the latest episode of The Jeff Gerstmann Show, Gerstmann stated he was aware of a Fallout “thing” in development at another Microsoft-owned studio that, he thinks, is “no longer going to see the light of day.” The relevant comments begin at the 2:48:52 timemark in the video above. Prior to this independent podcast, Gerstmann served as editorial director of GameSpot for a decade before becoming a co-founder of Giant Bomb. That buys him the benefit of the doubt for many, giving his claim more weight than most.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
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Gerstmann did not comment on what kind of Fallout this game would be, if it had been a mainline or spin-off title at that, or which Microsoft-owned studio was working on it. For many fans, the ideal non-Bethesda studio to work on a Fallout game would be Obsidian Entertainment, as it previously developed Fallout: New Vegas. How Obsidian would have fit that into its schedule is unknown (as it recently released Grounded 2 in Early Access, Avowed, and The Outer Worlds 2), but there’s no indication from Gerstmann it would have been Obsidian either.
It’s Not Likely to be the Fallout 3/New Vegas Remasters
While Gerstmann did not specify the Fallout game, it is unlikely to be the long-rumored Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas remasters. Or at least hopefully. Gerstmann added that he thinks the Fallout 3 remaster “has been outsourced to an external studio,” which has been a long-standing rumor. One fan theory is that Virtuos, which worked on The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, is working on Fallout 3, while another external studio is working on Fallout: New Vegas (both with oversight from Bethesda). In theory, it could have been either of these remasters/remakes that was canceled, but it does seem more likely that it was an unannounced spin-off as opposed to one of these remasters. The success of Oblivion speaks for itself, after all.
Fallout 5 is Firmly in Bethesda’s Hands
Bethesda is still working on Starfield, with rumors suggesting that Starfield is coming to PS5 in April, and its next project is The Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda has yet to share any concrete plans for it, following the reveal back in 2018, so concrete Fallout 5 news is years away. Gerstmann also indicated that Bethesda Game Studios would staff up before letting another studio work on Fallout or The Elder Scrolls, presumably in terms of new mainline games at the very least, but Bethesda has commented on Fallout 5 here and there.
There’s nothing too concrete here, of course, but Bethesda’s Todd Howard has previously stated that Fallout is the franchise that Bethesda is “doing the most in right now,” also including the TV show. Howard has also previously said the events of the Fallout show would be part of the official timeline for Fallout 5, but anything official would be a stretch.
Details on the canceled Fallout game may surface someday, if this is true, but there’s no doubt Bethesda is aware of the ever-growing fan demand for something in the video game space.
