Fallout 76initially launched as a bare-bones MMO with little going for it, and while Bethesda has made strides to improve the experience, many still consider it to be the worst Fallout game in the franchise.
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This accounts for the last six years from the studio. As publishers they fare a little better, having published in the same period,Rage 2,Deathloop,DOOM Eternal,Ghostwire: Tokyo, andHi-Fi Rush. Why this doesn’t bode well for Fallout should be clear to see, the last time Bethesda made a mainline Fallout game it was 2015 and the company was thinking very differently. And some are thinking that perhaps Bethesda has lost its charm.
Fallout
Now, it’s clear that in their partnership with Amazon Studios, material for Fallout can still entertain, and Todd Howard who was Executive Producer for the show clearly showed that the spark is still there, but can the company turn that into a brilliant game - one that is still some way off, set to come afterThe Elder Scrolls 6, a game we don’t have a release window for.
It’s going to be a long wait, it’s likelyFallout 5won’t even see this current round of hardware. This is why I believe Bethesda should outsource Fallout again, as they did withFallout: New Vegas.
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It’s no surprise given that the core team who worked onNew Vegaswas from Black Isle Studios, the developer who created Fallout in the first place. They know the world, they know the franchise. Unfortunately, the partnership soured immediately after the release ofNew Vegasdue to a contract stipulation from Bethesda to Obsidian.
New Vegas
Obsidian was promised a base fee for creating the spin-off Fallout game. They agreed to no royalties, however, they were told they would receive a bonus payout if the game scored 85 or above on Metacritic after launch. The game reached an 84.
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Despite the score at the time,New Vegaswent on to be the darling of the series in a bittersweet turn of events. So, should Obsidian take over Fallout once again?
In a perfect world, yes. In this world? It’s not likely. There aren’t many of the team left from Black Isle Studios or the development time on New Vegas. That doesn’t mean they can’t produce something special,The Outer Worldswas a spiritual successor to Fallout, after all, and showed the studio could still produce something similar.
But Obsidian is also hard at work on three separate projects, one of which isAvowed, a first-person magical shooter set within theirPillars of Eternityuniverse. Another is a sequel toThe Outer Worlds. Obsidian doesn’t have the numbers to produce another Fallout game, at least from an outsider’s perspective.
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Outer Worlds
Should another developer be sought for the next Fallout installment? AfterStarfieldcame out, fans began to doubt that Bethesda still had the magic we saw forFallout 4andSkyrim, could they stick the landing? Do they need new creative leads? Would they benefit from focusing on a sequel that takes the TV show canon into account? If it weren’t for the Amazon show it would feel like Bethesda has no idea what to do with the Fallout universe.
So, here’s my plea. Give it to Larian Studios. Microsoft, please step in and say ‘Bethesda we love you, please put 100% into Elder Scrolls and we’ll get Larian Studios to do a Fallout spin-off.’ Imagine that game for a moment, it would be a return to the tactical adventures we saw in the 1990s with huge amounts of narrative depth, skills in turning out memorable characters, and an astonishing level of worldbuilding.
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Of course, if we want to stick with a 3D action-RPG then give it to BioWare and let them channel some of the oldMass Effectmagic on it. We can have the karma system return for companions, perhaps even leave the solo adventurer behind, and create a team like we’ve seen in the Amazon show. A ragtag group who venture out into the wastelands with bags of humour and difficult decisions among the action-packed set pieces and perk trees.
Fallout 3
Of course, I don’t want to discount Bethesda too much. For all we know, we could let them cook and they’ll bring us something tasty. However, as much as I love Bethesda, and I do, bringing in another developer would also capitalise on the current momentum for the franchise. All anyone is talking about is Fallout. The games are seeing spikes in playercounts, the series is super popular again, and yet we may have to wait for four years or more for the next game. If Microsoft and Bethesda have any sense, they’ve already outsourced the next title, spin-off or not.
Topics:Amazon,Bethesda,Fallout,Obsidian Entertainment,TV And Film,Bioware,Microsoft
