Amid the breakout success of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show, fans of the video game upon which it was based wondered why Bethesda and parent company Microsoft failed to release a brand new Fallout game in order to capitalize on heightened interest in the post-apocalyptic franchise.
Instead, player numbers for existing Fallout games, such as Fallout 76, Fallout 4, and even the older games spiked. A missed opportunity, perhaps?
As reported by Inverse, Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer touched on this issue while speaking at New York’s annual Paley International Summit. While Spencer acknowledged the lack of a new Fallout game, he did insist everyone involved ended up benefiting from it.
“We didn't have a new game lined up for the launch,” Spencer said. “I actually think that gave us some creative liberty that [we] wouldn't have had if we tried to coordinate production of two very different creative processes to land at the same time.”
That mention of “creative liberty” is a reference to the Fallout TV show’s canon status within the Fallout timeline, and the fact it takes place after all the existing Fallout games. While this has meant Fallout lore fans have analyzed the TV show to within an inch of its life, its creators were able to move on from what’s gone before and tell a brand new story. If a new post-Fallout 4 video game had come out at the same time, Bethesda and the TV showrunners would have faced a tricky job ensuring all their Fallout timeline ducks were in a row.
Of course, a brand new Fallout game is coming down the pipe, with Bethesda development chief Todd Howard confirming Fallout 5 is in the long-term plan, potentially after The Elder Scrolls 6 comes out. For Microsoft’s part, it’s comfortable missing out on TV show-fuelled sales of a new Fallout game. “The play is much more long term than trying to drive some gift buying,” Spencer said.
This tallies with comments made by Howard back in June. Then, the Bethesda Softworks head said he wasn't interested in rushing the next Fallout game out the door.
"For other Fallout games in the future, you know, obviously I can’t talk about those right now, but I would say, sort of rushing through them, or we kind of need to get stuff out that is different than the work we’re doing in 76... we don’t feel like we need to rush any of that," he said. "The Fallout TV show fills a certain niche in terms of the franchise and storytelling."
Speaking of the Fallout TV show, the hotly anticipated Season 2 is currently filming in Los Angeles. Expect plenty more flashbacks, showrunner Jonathan Nolan said. The question is, will a new Fallout video game make it in time for Season 2?
Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Prime Video.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
