In the past couple of years, Microsoft has made numerous acquisitions that has made its future and the future of the Xbox Series X brighter. Least of all is RPG giant Obsidian Entertainment, which has a ton of games currently being juggled: DLC for The Outer Worlds, Grounded, Avowed, and a confirmed secret project. Joining it next year is Bethesda, another RPG giant best known for The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
Regardless of their directions, there are two games that tentatively exist in the minds of fans, one of which is entirely due to the Bethesda acquisition. With Obsidian and Bethesda under Microsoft’s roof, there’s more of a chance that Fallout: New Vegas gets a proper or spiritual successor some day than ever before. But fans of the original will likely want Obsidian to also develop The Outer Worlds 2 some day, and it’s hard to say which fans would prefer first. However it happens, if it happens, there’s a couple of ways where one may trip the other up and vice versa.
First, it’s worth remembering that The Outer Worlds is a Fallout-inspired game. The original reveal highlights the fact that it’s made by the original creators of Fallout, something many saw as a jab at Bethesda but was ultimately denied by Obsidian. Despite hosting a space-faring adventure, the crude hilarity of the original franchise is found in everything from the character and costume designs to the very dialog boxes. Easily, many may see The Outer Worlds as 2019’s honorary Fallout title.
As such, comparisons between The Outer Worlds to Fallout were drawn by everyone and their mama, so a sequel to both would indubitably do the same. Content matter may differ, but it would be hard to imagine for the tones to be that different. Fans would likely draw comparisons between sequels to both Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas upon release, which while not necessarily a good or bad thing, could undermine one or the other. Worst case scenario, many could likely make claims that they’re essentially clones, which wouldn’t be the case but would possibly still happen.
If a comparison between the general tone wasn’t all, then development of one or the other could step on all the wrong toes. Obsidian is the best developer to loan Fallout to, if only for this sequel, and Bethesda has enough projects now and otherwise rumored (Bethesda Montreal and Austin are said to be working on a new game). Starfield, The Elder Scrolls 6, and everything else is a big drain, and it only makes sense to move forward this way.
Obsidian has a couple of projects as well, and it has proven itself capable of juggling a good bit. Nonetheless, it seems likely that the two could step over each others toes here as well. Director Josh Sawyer would be ideal for Fallout New Vegas 2, but he’s currently tied up in his own unannounced project. Obsidian’s secret game could be New Vegas 2 (nothing is stopping Bethesda from collaborating BEFORE the Microsoft deal), but it’s as equally, if not more likely to be, something else. Sawyer would be the ideal lead for the game, but it’s uncertain when/if he’d be able to do it. Development is complicated, yes, and there’s a lot of variables here, but it’s very possible this game prevents him from working on New Vegas 2 once the deal is complete.
With that in mind, Fallout: New Vegas 2 is years away if it ever manages to manifest. Presumably, The Outer Worlds 2 is years away as well, so while the two are getting shuffled around with Grounded, Avowed, and potentially more, one may take priority over the other. Obsidian knows fans are hungry for more Fallout from it, but at the same time, The Outer Worlds is its newest IP and requires plenty of attention too. If it’s nothing in focusing development on the game, then resources down the road could cause the two to bump heads.
As a result, it’s very possible the games release years apart. At the same time, certain hits or misses or victories and failures could put them relatively close. If the two weren’t so close that they struggled against each other for attention, then it remains possible that they release close enough together to warrant the aforementioned comparisons even more. Support for both thereafter, again, would be simple enough for Obsidian Entertainment, but having two major RPGs with similar premises and need for post-launch support could open its own box of worms.
Of course, this all remains to be seen where Obsidian Entertainment decides to go in the coming years. Many would agree that its acquisition by Microsoft is as good for it as it is for a variety of other titles, and in the end, good RPGs are really all fans can expect.
Neither Fallout: New Vegas 2 nor The Outer Worlds 2 have been confirmed.
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