Bethesda has broken its silence on the long-awaited RPG series, confirming that Fallout 5 is currently in preproduction, though The Elder Scrolls 6 remains the priority for the development team. More than a decade after the release of Fallout 4, the studio has also verified that remasters for both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are officially on the way, alongside an entirely new game developed by original New Vegas studio Obsidian Entertainment.
Quick Facts
- Fallout 5 is officially in preproduction at Bethesda.
- Remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are confirmed to be in development.
- Obsidian Entertainment is returning to develop a brand new Fallout game.
- The Elder Scrolls 6 remains Bethesda's primary focus ahead of full Fallout 5 production.
Why Didn't Bethesda Align a New Game With the TV Show?
The absence of a new Fallout game alongside the popular Amazon Prime television series struck many as a missed opportunity, especially given that the show caused an immediate surge in sales and popularity for the existing RPGs. Speaking on a recent episode of the Human Can Opener podcast, Obsidian co-founder and Fallout: New Vegas writer Chris Avellone addressed the timing.
Avellone noted that the decision not to launch a game alongside the show likely stemmed from personal factors for the developers rather than a purely business-driven choice. While the exact reasoning remains unelaborated, future seasons of the Amazon Prime series still leave open windows for upcoming projects to eventually align with the show's broadcast schedule.
The Need for a Better Fallout 3
The upcoming remaster of Fallout 3 also arrives with perspective from the original development team. Bethesda veteran Nate Purkeypile recently pointed out that the 2008 release of Fallout 3 was 'not what we intended' due to hardware and technological constraints at the time, establishing a clear technical goal for the forthcoming updated version.