As of now, we don’t have a shred of an idea of what Bethesda and Todd Howard are planning for Fallout 5. Despite that, there’s hype mounting up for the next wasteland adventure.
We all know that the wait for Fallout 5 is going to be a long one. Both Bethesda and fans have accepted this fact: good things take time to come. However, Microsoft isn’t happy about this delay for the next Fallout title and has even considered giving new studio keys to the franchise.
Microsoft was sick and tired of waiting for Fallout 5
Last year, Amazon Prime’s Fallout TV debuted, and it was arguably one of the biggest surprises of the year. Even though Fallout as a franchise was well-known among people, the Prime show took the hype to the next level. Millions of players dived back into the post-apocalyptic games, and even decade-told titles were doing better than modern games.
The hype for Fallout hasn’t died out, and it’s going strong as there’s a second season for the Prime show right around the corner. However, there’s an issue: there’s no new Fallout game to capitalize on this popularity. The last mainline entry in the franchise, Fallout 4, debuted almost a decade ago, and since then, we’ve only seen one multiplayer spin-off.
Why didn’t Bethesda make Fallout 5 in all these years? Well, the studio had its hands tied. Firstly, it was working on Starfield, and then it’s Shattered Space DLC till 2024. After that, it has completely shifted its focus to the next Elder Scrolls game. Howard has already stated that Bethesda won’t begin working on Fallout 5 until it has wrapped up Elder Scrolls 6.
Considering these statements, it’s fair to assume that there’s going to be a long 8-10 years of wait for the next Fallout game. However, Microsoft isn’t that happy with this development timeline. As reported by the Xbox Two podcast, various insiders have suggested that Microsoft wants to release a Fallout game as soon as possible.
Reports suggested that Microsoft could use one of the many studios under its wing for a Fallout game to capitalize on the recent hype. It’s one of the most valuable IPs for Microsoft right now, so it’s not shocking that it’s considering another developer if Bethesda is busy with other projects.
Even if it’s not a mainline Fallout game, Microsoft has a number tons of experienced studios that can give a spin-off that can keep new fans hooked until Bethesda eventually starts the engine for Fallout 5.
The problem with Microsoft’s Fallout 5 plan
So, if Microsoft is looking to get another studio on the Fallout franchise, the first likely candidate is Obsidian Entertainment. It has already given us one of the best entries in the franchise, New Vegas, so it clearly knows what Fallout fans seek.
However, it’s not that simple. Obsidian has recently released Avowed, which, while successful, has tons of issues that the studio needs to fix. After that, it’s going to move forward with Outer Worlds 2. If Obsidian is given the task of making a Fallout game, it means all of its other works will have to be cancelled. Something that’s unlikely to happen.
Microsoft can obviously make use of its other reputable studios to keep the franchise going. However, would giving a new studio the challenge of making a post-apocalyptic title be a fair one?
Even if it does happen, the problem is that there are currently no Fallout titles in the development stages. It takes months to move initial plans, and the game would easily take 4 to 5 years to develop.
With that said, do you think Microsoft should allow another studio to develop Fallout 5 or a spin-off in the franchise? Let us know in the comments below.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
