While a sequel to the Fallout: New Vegas could happen at Microsoft, another entry in the series by developer Obsidian could benefit from a change of setting. The long-running game series has undergone numerous changes and numerous developers, from Interplay Production's original game released in 1997 to the currently-ed Bethesda MMO Fallout: 76. Fans have long hoped for a sequel to New Vegas, widely considered to be one of the best Fallout games, and while fan projects, unofficial patches, and a huge library of visual and gameplay mods keep the decade-old game remarkably popular, the official sequel is now within the realm of possibility.
One major factor enabling a potential sequel is Microsoft's move to acquire more game studios; this recent push has brought Fallout IP owner Bethesda Softworks and Obsidian Entertainment under the same banner. As such, a future collaboration could be likely now more than ever, allowing Obsidian to return for another Fallout game with their creative direction. The developer's involvement is doubly important - not only did Obsidian make New Vegas, but the studio was founded by developers from Interplay Productions and Black Isle, creators of the original Fallout and Fallout 2. While the franchise has changed under Bethesda, New Vegas draws on the original games in ways that Fallout 3 and 4 don't.
All these different Fallout games have taken players all across the wasteland of the former United States, from Alaska to, most recently, Fallout 76's Appalachia and beyond. The variety in setting, both geographically and temporally, has long been a boon for the franchise - and while New Vegas's imagining of the Mojave Desert was popular with players, the game's success can be attributed to far more than just the location. Another Obsidian-developed Fallout could capture the spirit of New Vegas while allowing players to explore yet-unseen parts of the post-war future.
Why Obsidian's Next Fallout Game Shouldn't Be Set In New Vegas
While the Mojave Wasteland and the New Vegas Strip are iconic locations for the Fallout franchise, New Vegas's long-lasting popularity is only partially a result of the setting. New Vegas additionally features key differences in gameplay and narrative structure than Fallout 3, to the point that Fallout 3 and New Vegas are wildly different games. Clever quest design, exciting new factions, and a deeper set of role-playing systems are New Vegas's real claims to fame. A true successor should appeal to players through these elements of the game rather through references to a title that's over a decade old.
Speaking of which, sequels run constant risk of being overshadowed by their predecessors; doubling down on a setting can further draw attention to a game's similarities to what came before, rather than allowing games to stand on their own. Fallout 3, for example, suffers here, as the ways that factions like the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave are handled feel stuck in the franchise's past rather than pushing in a new direction. Often fan-made projects like Fallout: Nuevo Mexico create new and exciting settings, and Obsidian should follow suit rather than rehashing pieces of their previous game. This would allow for an exciting new setting to explore and a narrative largely untethered from the past.
Whatever the future of the Fallout franchise, another entry developed by Obsidian is sure to excite fans. But while New Vegas is a favorite of many fans, games will hopefully look to the future rather than the past. After all, New Vegas and the rest of the Fallout games aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
