Of all the game series that have come and gone, the Fallout saga has stood the test of time. The veterans may even allude to a Radroach in the game. This is further proven by the best Fallout games. While the titles themselves were great, the Fallout TV show almost sealed the deal.
As more and more players flock back to the latest entries after the show’s success, I wondered if this is the perfect time for another Fallout video game, or at least its spin-off. Before you come after me with your lasguns, stop. My reasons for a Fallout game right now are actually good. Let’s break them down, shall we?
Fallout in 2024: What’s it like?
Before we explain why I felt this way, let’s quickly look at the Fallout series. The show itself takes place in the universe of its namesake. It follows three different people from different situations, with a new story that takes place years after Fallout 4. While you’d expect only gamers to love the series, it turns out. everyone did.
This resulted in the games making a resurgence. Already this week, Fallout 4 had a sudden boostresulting in a 24-hour peak of over 190,000 players on Steam. Fallout 76, the online game based on the popular RPG, also experienced a sudden resurgence. Both games became top sellers in Europe and other countries. It even prompted Bethesda to launch a next-gen update. Unfortunately it broke the mods and didn’t provide anything major on PC.
We need another fallout now; Here’s why
If there’s one thing the series helped me confirm, it’s that Fallout can thrive outside of the main games. Think about it. The show never directly references the game, but links to events that helped create the world.
While I understand that a major studio won’t like to dip their hands in just yet, we have another option. Letting a smaller team try their hand at the Fallout formula will make for a lot of great stories. Do you think I’m wrong? Consider what happened when Bethesda took a chance and let Obsidian create a game. It resulted in Fallout: New Vegasone of the greatest video games of all time.
New Vegas became one of the pillars of the extended Fallout Lore, further fleshing out the Nu-Fallout lore (which I like to call the Bethesda era of gaming). We already know that it will take over a decade to get Fallout 5. The studio has previously confirmed in multiple interviews that they will revisit the Wasteland after Elder Scrolls 6 first. This makes the game a distant dream.
Sitting on an almost missed opportunity
Ever since the TV show’s release, interest in Fallout has been high. To take advantage of such tension, quick action is necessary. Releasing a small Fallout iteration right now will help build anticipation around the game series and for a future entry.
It doesn’t end here. Xbox currently owns Bethesda, which is the parent company. As such, they influence the games that are produced and published. With the sudden growth of the series, Microsoft is technically sitting on a slight goodwill with fans and profits. The company should jump on the idea and greenlight the games ASAP. Failure to do so is a sure missed opportunity.
However, I agree that making a new Fallout game from scratch will be a challenge. A possible solution to this is to create a smaller experience. This can be something like a choose-your-own-adventure gamewhere choices matter and have long-lasting effects.
This might actually be something like The Walking Dead from Telltale. If that is impossible, another extension of a few hours will do. The potential is unlimited, and both studios must take that risk.
So who will do it?
This brings me to the most pressing question: who will make the game? Someone has to take the job, right? After all, we can’t conjure up a game out of thin air. Well, here are some studios that I think should give a shot at creating the next Fallout experience.
Obsidian entertainment
You knew this was coming, right? Obsidian is responsible for hits like Pillars of Eternity, Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, Planescape: Torment, The Outer Worlds, etc. And of course, the studio made Fallout: New Vegas. While they are currently busy making Avowed, Josh Sawyer showed his interest in make another Fallout games before his retirement.
He was the Game Director and Lead Designer of New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, and Narrative Designer on Pentiment. Knowing this, Xbox might let the studio have one last run in the wasteland. Since the studio has experience working in traditional CRPGs and RPGs, they can return to the roots with a isometric CRPG that focuses on storytelling for a Fallout game.
inXile entertainment
inXile is a studio made up of people who worked at Interplay Entertainment, Fallout’s original developers. While the studio owns the Wasteland series, technically a spin-off set in the Fallout universe, they have never tried to revisit it.
But with inXile joining the Xbox family, I feel like they might try to create a Fallout game in in the Wasteland games. Since they have the RPG systems in place from Wastelands 3 and the tactical combat system, they can try to make something like a Wastelands game. This looks like a story-focused game, making it a road trip through post-nuclear America with memorable stories.
Telling game
Xbox Studios shouldn’t be the only one with a shot at Fallout. Remember Telltale Games? Well, they still exist and release episodic adventure games in smaller quantities. With Telltale wrapping up production on The Expanse and currently working on the Wolf Among Us sequel, Xbox Studios and Bethesda might consider letting them try.
The potential Fallout game may have a story that follows new characters in a different era, with a focus on choice and storytelling. This could be something like Tales of Borderlands or Minecraft: Story Mode. Like the games mentioned above, the characters can cross over with fan favorites from the series, further expanding the lore.
In the end, it all depends on Mircosoft and its decision to let others create new Fallout games. And I’ll be honest with you when I say it seems funny. After all, they would be protective, right? Also, given how long development times are now, even a smaller Fallout game could take years. But with Fallout season 2 confirmed, the developers can make it a good release date.
Hopefully, with the rise of the series’ popularity, we’ll get some more Fallout games soon. What do you think? Have you played any Fallout games out there? Let us know in the comments below.
