What is Bethesda up to? After a surprise live stream started last night on Twitch, featuring the Vault Boy in front of a monitor displaying the Fallout-typical “Please Stand By” loading screen, Fallout fans are wildly speculating.
A new Fallout?
What happened? Shortly after 5 PM, a live stream from Bethesda suddenly started on Twitch, accompanied by a Twitter announcement. Both feature the “Please Stand By” loading screen from the Fallout games. The live stream also showcased a Vault Boy statue, the “mascot” of Fallout. Over the past hours, Bethesda employees appeared on screen, but no real hint about what it all means has been revealed yet.
Fallout 5, Fallout: New Vegas 2, Fallout Online, or a remaster. There are currently several theories regarding what this could be about. One can assume that Bethesda will announce something soon. But what?
The 3 big solutions in Fallout
- Fallout 5 – One possibility is a sequel to Fallout 4. However, the last installment of the post-apocalyptic RPG series was released in 2015, and fans would expect a regular release timeframe from Bethesda, which would normally point to The Elder Scrolls 6 by now. However, The Elder Scrolls Online is currently doing very well, and the studio likely does not want to take away players by announcing TES 6 – which doesn’t fit with the teaser either.
- Fallout News Vegas 2 – A spinoff of the main series, like Fallout New Vegas released by Obsidian Entertainment in 2010, could be a plausible option. The game was released between Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. This would make such a “spinoff” fit well between Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls 6. However, the development studio Obsidian has already stated that they are not involved in this new project. That does not mean, of course, that no other studio could be working on a spinoff.
- Fallout Online – This is a very interesting option and not unlikely at all. With The Elder Scrolls Online, Bethesda, or rather Zenimax, has already shown that it is possible to turn one of the series into an MMORPG. Currently, there are also rumors that this new game will be a Fallout like we have not seen before. This could align well with an online game. Whether Bethesda will take the same path with a Fallout Online as with TESO by developing a theme park MMO, or rather a survival game like Conan Exiles, is the big question.
The 3 small solutions in Fallout
- Remaster of Fallout 3 – There are also rumors circulating that Bethesda will release a remaster this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Fallout 3, with improved graphics and possibly also a port for the Nintendo Switch. But, is such an effort like the live stream warranted?
- Fallout 4 for Nintendo Switch – A conversion of Fallout 4 for the Nintendo Switch is conceivable, since this has already worked with The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. However, the question arises why they would go to such lengths for it.
- Fallout GO – Although there is already a mobile game for the post-apocalyptic series with Fallout Shelter, it is still possible that Bethesda is planning something like Pokémon GO. We would go hunting for mutants, robots, and Deathclaws… And the development studio had already mentioned wanting to release more mobile games.
The Hybrid Solution
- Starfield – For years, there has been a rumor that Bethesda is working on a space RPG with Starfield, which is supposed to connect the universes of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. In Fallout’s future, we would fly into space, meet other races like space elves, experience adventures, and eventually, this would lead into a very distant future with The Elder Scrolls. However, the announcement now seems to specifically refer to Fallout.
What is the most likely option? In the humble opinion of the author of this article, a Fallout Online or a remaster of Fallout 3 is what we will most likely see. The tenth anniversary of Fallout 3 is a good indicator that a remake might be in store. A Fallout Online, on the other hand, would provide Bethesda with long-term revenue.
Perhaps we will find out tonight what new developments we can expect from the Fallout universe.
