Almost a month after the launch of Amazon’s Fallout TV series and various franchise sales, Fallout games are still performing well. Fallout 4 remains a top 10 Steam game with over 100,000 concurrent players each night, while Fallout 76 has seen a 400% increase in player numbers. Surprisingly, even Fallout New Vegas is performing six times better than before.
Behind the scenes, there are reports that Microsoft is looking for one of its studios to start working on a new Fallout game, considering the surge in interest in the franchise. Fallout is considered one of the most valuable franchises Microsoft owns, potentially even surpassing Halo in the current era.
However, there are challenges to overcome. Bethesda cannot speed up the timeline for Fallout 5, and it may take 7-10 years before the game is released. The most logical choice for an intermediate Fallout spin-off game would be Obsidian, but they are currently occupied with other projects. Other developers could work on a game, but they lack experience in the franchise.
While Fallout 76 remains an ongoing Fallout experience that Microsoft can utilize, its long-term retention is uncertain. Remakes and remasters can only do so much, and the quality of recent updates to Fallout 4 may not meet expectations. It appears that Microsoft assigning a developer, such as Obsidian, to work on a Fallout spin-off may be the best solution, but the results and timeline are unknown.
Bethesda’s development pace needs to improve to avoid lengthy gaps between games like Fallout 5. With Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield currently in development, it is unlikely that Fallout 5 will be released anytime soon. The future of the Fallout franchise is uncertain, but it is clear that more than periodic updates for Fallout 76 are needed to keep fans engaged. Only time will tell what changes may come in the world of Fallout.
