Summary
- Fallout’s Prime Video show success may expedite Fallout 5 development, pleasing old and new fans with the potential for a new sequel.
- Reports suggest Xbox is aiming for a Fallout 5 release within the decade, possibly with external help, leveraging existing technology for quicker progress.
- Obsidian’s interest in creating another Fallout game before 2025 could fill the gap, aligning with Xbox’s timeline desires.
The success of Fallout‘s recent Amazon Prime Video live-action adaptation may have encouraged Xbox to speed up development on its sequel, with newer audiences discovering the franchise and pre-established fans of the series returning to their favorite titles for another playthrough, resulting in some of the best player counts titles such as Fallout 4, Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 76 have seen in years. Earlier this month, Bethesda Game Studios’ Studio Design Director, Emil Pagliarulo, spoke about a potential release date for Fallout 5, suggesting it may be many years away with Bethesda’s upcoming pipeline, stating “We can’t do everything at once“.
On the latest episode of the Xbox Two Podcast on Rand al Thor 19‘s YouTube channel, Windows Central‘s managing editor, Jez Corden, claimed that Xbox would like to see a potential Fallout 5 release happen sooner rather than having to wait for Bethesda to finish work on The Elder Scrolls 6.
He said that he expects the next Fallout game to be released within the current decade to capitalize on the show’s success, potentially with another developer helping or helming it as Bethesda continues its work on The Elder Scrolls 6, which is confirmed to be the studio’s next project. Rand al Thor 19 was skeptical, pointing out that most video game development takes four years minimum, and there are only six years left in this decade. Corden countered this by pointing out that they’d already have the engine used for Starfield in place, rather than having to develop new technology.
The Fallout Series Timeline With Games (Including How New Vegas Fits) Clarified By EPs
The timeline of the Fallout TV series, including games like New Vegas, gets clarified by executive producers Todd Howard and Jonathan Nolan.
Obsidian Entertainment’s CEO Had Already Expressed Interest In Making Another Fallout
The Studio Developed The Acclaimed Fallout: New Vegas
Todd Howard did state in an interview with IGN in 2022 that while Bethesda had an idea and a one-pager for Fallout 5, there wasn’t much beyond that. With this in mind, if Xbox is keen to see a new entry in the series before then, something like a Fallout: New Vegas sequel could fill the void, especially with the TV series setting up some storylines around the location. Obsidian Entertainment – which is also owned by Xbox – developed the acclaimed Fallout: New Vegas back in 2010 in a similar kind of scenario. Bethesda was developing The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and reached out to Obsidian, a company founded by several former members of the original Fallout developers, Black Isle Studios, to develop the game in the meantime.
In a 2023 interview with Gamepressure, Obsidian Entertainment’s CEO Feargus Urquhart stated that he’d like to create another Fallout game before he retires, making the studio an obvious choice. The studio is currently developing Avowed, which is due for a Fall 2024 release, and The Outer Worlds 2, which is thought to have entered pre-production in 2019 following the success of the first game, and could therefore release some time not long after Avowed, potentially in 2025 if the two projects have been developed simultaneously. If so, this could free the studio up to work on a Fallout title in Xbox’s preferred timeframe.
Of course, nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft or Bethesda yet, so this is all purely speculation for now. It would make sense for Xbox to want to capitalize on the extremely successful Fallout show, however, so it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility, especially with a Season 2 already being greenlit by Amazon, showing a bright future for the series.
Source: Rand Al Thor 19/YouTube, IGN, Gamepressure
