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Bethesda have pulled the covers off their Fallout plans, and there's a lot to unpack. In an update on the franchise's future, the publisher confirmed that remasters of both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas have been in the works, and that Obsidian Entertainment are once again making a Fallout game.
Neither came with a date, but after years of speculation, it's good to know that both projects are in the works.
And while this is certainly exciting news, it's worth tempering expectations accordingly. "Remaster" covers a wide range, from a light resolution bump to something closer to the Oblivion Remastered treatment, and Bethesda have said nothing about which end of that spectrum these sit at.
Given how the publisher approached Oblivion Remaster, I'd say it's probably a realistic expectation that Fallout games are getting the same treatment, which is great news, since it means they are retaining the Creation Engine for everything other than visuals, which are powered by Unreal.
Obsidian go back to the wasteland
The other headline is Obsidian. Bethesda confirmed the studio are working with them on a new Fallout project, with more to share later.
Obsidian made New Vegas back in 2010, a game widely regarded as the high-water mark for the franchise's writing and role-playing depth, and one built by developers with roots in the original Fallout games at Black Isle. Bringing them back is exactly the move a large chunk of the fanbase has been lobbying for since Microsoft acquired both companies.
It's a lot of good news at once, which is worth noting given the timing. This lands days after Microsoft confirmed a sweeping Xbox restructure that named Bethesda among the units seeing reductions, and a post detailing everything in the pipeline inevitably reads as steadying the ship.
Either way, it's really happening and it looks like Microsoft are finally starting to make some smart moves regarding their big IP. Two of the most requested remasters in gaming are in development, Obsidian are back on Fallout, and Fallout 5 is still the destination. The only thing missing is anything resembling a date.
