Todd Howard from Bethesda stated in an interview that there are currently two projects in the works that are intended to overshadow everything done before. Could Fallout Online be one of them?
With the new games, Bethesda aims to stay true to its style while also bringing fresh ideas to the genre. Furthermore, the games are supposed to be larger than anything the developer studio has created before.
This sounds like two role-playing games are in development that are supposed to be more extensive than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Fallout 4. It immediately brings to mind an MMORPG. The Elder Scrolls Online is already significantly more extensive than all other entries in the series, staying true to the core, which is the RPG genre, but it is somewhat different as well.
Bethesda is unlikely to develop a competitor to TESO
A fantasy MMORPG is probably not on Bethesda’s agenda. After all, the studio already operates The Elder Scrolls Online, which is successful and is expected to continue running for some time. While a The Elder Scrolls 6 is possible, it would mean that the team would also be competing with TESO, as many would likely switch from the MMO to the single-player title. For this reason, The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely still several years away from being announced.
However, a Fallout Online would make sense if it were different from The Elder Scrolls Online. I have already contemplated how a Fallout Online could look. Back then, I suggested that a survival game in the style of ARK or Conan Exiles would be sensible. Players could build settlements together, expand, defend them, explore the post-apocalyptic wasteland, and fight against mutants and bandits as well as hostile players. Conquests of player towns could be a crucial element.
I still find such an online game conceivable. Even if the survival genre is currently quite oversaturated. But maybe Bethesda is planning something bigger. Bethesda games thrive on stories, quests, and narrative. But can this be combined with a survival game? Conan Exiles attempts to do this by having players find clues about the ancient people who once lived in the land of the Exiled in the desert. This creates a backstory that one can experience on their own terms.
A survival game with story and quests?
Small stories here and there that do not follow the same repetitive collection and killing quests as conventional MMORPGs could be interesting. I think back too far – to the days of Ultima Underworld, from 1992. The game had an interesting way of telling stories. It posed a problem to the player. For example, to intrude a crypt and retrieve an artifact. How the player accomplished this was up to them. They could rush in, defeat all the undead, and grab the item. But they could also sneak in, stay in the shadows, and try to reach the goal without fighting.
Or they could search for a back entrance or lure another large monster into the crypt to clear it out for them. There was no predetermined path, no scripted events. Everything happened based on how the player approached the problem. I could envision something like this as a narrative form in a survival game. This would enhance a Fallout Online and take it beyond the confines of conventional survival games. Whether something like this is planned, remains to be seen.
How about a co-op RPG in a new world?
The environments are credible and consistent, looking good.
Perhaps Bethesda is also working on completely new franchises. That would also have its charm.
A new fantasy world without the burdens of The Elder Scrolls lore. A clean slate with a world that players can explore anew. And perhaps it would even be possible to play online together with friends. Not an MMORPG with thousands of players, but more of a co-op game for five to six adventurers. But with twists.
Each player can follow their own path, occasionally parting from the others to do something alone or even betraying their friends and becoming an enemy.
Let’s see when Bethesda announces the first of these games. Perhaps during E3, as the developer studio is planning a major conference again.
Whether Fallout Online will happen remains to be seen. But you can look forward to these games:
