The Fallout TV series has been an undeniable success, and the fervor for Fallout games is stronger than ever. That’s left a lot of folks (myself included) downbeat at the fact that Fallout 5 is probably a decade or so away, with The Elder Scrolls 6 confirmed as Bethesda’s next big game after Starfield. In a new interview, the studio’s top dog Todd Howard admits that he “doesn’t want to wait that long either” for a new Fallout game, and says Bethesda is looking into ways to get projects out the door faster.
Admittedly, the current desire to get immersed in the Fallout universe again is still pretty well-served. Fans just got an enhanced version of Fallout 4 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, there’s an incredibly fun online experience in Fallout 76, and the ever-brilliant Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas are always within reach thanks to being two of the best Xbox Game Pass games. These are some of the best open-world games ever, but a brand-new Fallout experience is what I and many others are really hoping for.
With the Elder Scrolls 6 release date likely three or four years away at least, a Bethesda-developed Fallout 5 seems like it would probably arrive in the early or mid 2030s. Speaking to Kinda Funny Games, Howard says he’s not too concerned about there not being a new Fallout game right now to capitalize on the show’s success, but he does recognize that something needs to be done about the long wait.
“[Bethesda games] do take a long time,” Howard says in a new episode of the Kinda Funny Gamescast. “One of the things we’re making sure of here is obviously making sure they’re of the highest quality, but also finding ways to increase our output, because we don’t want to wait that long either. It’s never our plan, but we want to make sure we get it right.”
Howard’s mention of wanting to increase output and speed up production confirms recent reports that Bethesda was internally looking at ways to get a new Fallout game to players sooner.
Following a question from Gamescast host Greg Miller about collaborating with other developers to create new Fallout projects – as Bethesda did with Obsidian on Fallout New Vegas – Howard does seem to suggest that’s an option that’s still on the table, saying “we’re always having those conversations”.
While not explicitly, Howard also appears to suggest that Bethesda’s roadmap of future Fallout content could include two new projects rather than just Fallout 5. “When is Season 2 [of the Fallout show]? What are we doing on mobile? What are we doing in [Fallout 76]. What are we doing with this thing? What are we doing with this other thing? And when are these landing? And again if I could snap my fingers and have them all be out and ready I would. But the main thing is how do we deliver these at a high quality level. That is always most important.”
Now, take this with a grain of salt as it’s far from confirmation, but in mentioning “this thing” and “this other thing”, Howard could be talking about upcoming projects. If he is, I feel it’s almost certain that one of these will be an outsourced project, like New Vegas, or a smaller-scale project like Bethesda’s mobile game Fallout Shelter. Bethesda as a studio just wouldn’t have the capacity (even with Howard’s desire of increasing output) to make two mainline Fallout RPG games and The Elder Scrolls 6.
However, “things” may also constitute projects like Fallout 4 next-gen upgrade, or potentially remasters of older games. So yeah, don’t go reading too much into that quote for the time being.
In other Bethesda news, it has just been confirmed that Starfield’s first DLC, Shattered Space, will arrive this Fall, which is a little later than we’d hoped. Be sure to drop us a follow on Google News for even more coverage on the best Xbox games and best PS5 games, and big upcoming projects like Fallout 5.