Without a doubt, one of the most surprising moves in the game industry last year was Microsoft’s announced acquisition of Bethesda. Some fruits of that labor have already began to bore, even though it won’t still be finalized for a couple of months. In turn, what this also means that that the rumor mill is likely going to be eyeing everything that happens with the two companies. The first biggest question that was asked is what the acquisition met for the Elder Scrolls and the second question was what it meant for Fallout, specifically Fallout: New Vegas.
For context, Obsidian Entertainment is already under the Microsoft Umbrella, and Bethesda’s just about there. This means, in theory, Microsoft could negotiate a way for Bethesda to share the Fallout property and allow Obsidian Entertainment to, once again, make a Fallout game. There’s some history there that, two years ago, made this statement laughable, but the truth is, Fallout: New Vegas 2 isn’t impossible anymore. Fans of the franchise should be cautious, though, as this also means rumors of it will likely continue well into the next decade, regardless of whether it’s happening or not. And that first rumor is here, courtesy of known leaker Tyler McVicker.
Whenever there is a rumor, the validity of it must be questioned. Tyler McVicker is the source of the latest rumor, and there’s two details worth highlighting. First, he has quite a history with Valve leaks, one that has built at least a portion of his platform, and that’s a point for his credibility. When it comes to Valve information, McVicker can reasonably be trusted.
On the other hand, McVicker is like a faucet: there’s constant drip teases of information from him. He has claimed to know much, including information about several Bethesda properties, the Nintendo Switch Pro, the upcoming Zelda anniversary, Breath of the Wild 2, Avowed, and Back 4 Blood, but has shared very little on anything related to these projects and nothing verifiable. The chances of one individual having access to protected Valve, Big N, and Bethesda information is next to nothing, and for the aforementioned companies to not intervene if it were so is equally low. After all, Nintendo was all over the Pokemon Sword and Shield leaks, and it has even issued a cease and desist to Tiktok personalities like Pokeprincxss for infringement.
Either way, the veracity of these leaks are not the flaw here; rumors and leaks can be the lifeblood of many communities. The Assassin’s Creed community, for example, is always discussing whether the freshly-rumored setting would be good/fun, while fans of Fallout: New Vegas (and more to the point) have discussed the franchise moving to New Orleans, story details, and more. It can be simply fun, the entire point of the industry.
This McVicker New Vegas 2 rumor essentially states the following: that he EXPECTS Starfield to be another year or two, that he EXPECTS Fallout: New Vegas 2 in the “latter half of this decade,” that he EXPECTS The Elder Scrolls 6 in 2026-2027, and that he EXPECTS “anything close to a Fallout 5 in the 2030s.” He adds on this to when questioned about Obsidian Entertainment, stating that “they won’t likely have anything to do with it.”
When looking at this rumor closely, it’s mostly common sense. Everyone knows that Starfield is next, Bethesda has said as much, but there’s still next to nothing known about the game. Saying that it is a year or two out isn’t a rumor as much as it is a safe bet made on publicly known information. The Elder Scrolls 6 is years away, and again, anyone thinking that it would release anytime soon has ignored publicly-made statements. Fallout 5 is a good one, but again, looking at how Bethesda operates and how much it has in the works, it’s a reasonable expectation. The surprise is that he has expectations for New Vegas 2, but not enough information to discern 100% one way or the other whether Obsidian is involved.
And that’s a mistake, whether true or not. Obsidian Entertainment has built up its profile in the years, and sure, Bethesda and it had a falling out. The two companies have shown goodwill to one another on a couple of occasions since the Fallout: New Vegas launch debacle, and assuming Microsoft can wiggle it and the two companies are amendable, there’s little reason for New Vegas 2 to not be developed by the original company that handled the original.
Sure, there are many reasons it wouldn’t happen. Bethesda may not want another company to come in and make a “good Fallout” after the disastrous launch of Fallout 76. It may not be interested in loaning out IPs anymore. Again, while Fallout: New Vegas 2 is no longer impossible, that doesn’t make it likely. But on the condition that Fallout: New Vegas 2 comes in some form, as a solid sequel, a Fallout: New Orleans spiritual sequel, or as a entirely different entity, the only choice for a non-Bethesda developer would be Obsidian Entertainment.
If this rumor is true and Fallout: New Vegas 2 is in the works, even for years out, Obsidian Entertainment is the one to lead the charge. If the rumor is not true but perhaps Bethesda is considering it, no one company deserves this game as much as Obsidian. Since being acquired by Microsoft, Obsidian has prove that it’s an RPG powerhouse. The Outer Worlds was a solid, if short, romp that scratched many itches, and fan anticipation for Avowed is high. Obsidian is busy, indeed, and it would make sense if that meant Fallout: New Vegas 2 is years out. But beyond this claim, a Fallout: New Vegas follow-up without Obsidian’s involvement has a lot of risks for everyone involved, risks that the IP really shouldn’t take.
Fallout: New Vegas 2 is not confirmed to be in development.
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