Franchises with multiple entries face a number of problems. Sometimes there can be a sizable amount of time in between entries, and the narrative can lose its momentum or the playerbase can lose interest. That can be why some games, like the long-running Splinter Cell franchise, choose to reboot and start afresh while still maintaining the essence of the series. Others, like BioWare's beloved Mass Effect, tide fans over while they wait for an upcoming release with a remastered collection, but some just soldier on, banking on players waiting until the next installment even if that is years and years away.
With Bethesda's director and executive producer Todd Howard's recent comments about progress on Fallout 5 and when players might expect to play it, many fans are worried about when they'll next see some major new Fallout content. There's no release window for Fallout 5, and things are very much in the early stages, but given what else Bethesda is working on and how those games relate to the next Fallout installment, it's safe to say gamers won't be playing it anytime soon. In the meantime, many fans are hoping that Bethesda considers going down the remaster route while Fallout 5 is in the works.
Breaking Down Todd Howard's Comments
Bethesda has been fairly tight-lipped about its recent games. Starfield, the studio's first new IP in over two and a half decades, has faced a lot of scrutiny from the gaming community ever since it was announced. In the years since, relatively little has leaked out about the upcoming sci-fi space epic, and gamers were increasingly curious about what Starfield might have in store. Now that the game is nearing its launch, Bethesda has opened up a lot more about what Starfield entails and shown off substantial parts of the game, but that doesn't mean it has revealed any other juicy details about its additional titles in development.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is almost as much of a mystery now as it was when it was first revealed, and details about Fallout 5 are nonexistent. In fairness, Fallout 5 has been confirmed but development hasn't actually started just yet, so it's not as if Bethesda would have anything to show fans anyway. What's more, The Elder Scrolls 6 was first announced way back in 2018, and by some accounts, it's still not that far along yet, mainly thanks to a larger focus being placed on Starfield.
Todd Howard may have confirmed that Fallout 5 was on the way, but he said that work won't even begin until after The Elder Scrolls 6 is out, and that game is still in pre-production. With Starfield still to release and The Elder Scrolls 6 still to finish, it seems as if Fallout 5 could be a decade away at this point, which makes its confirmation feel ridiculously premature.
The State Of The Fallout Franchise
While the news that Fallout 5 will release at some point is exciting for many players, Bethesda may have a little work to do before then to get fans back on the Fallout train. When it first launched, Fallout 76 didn't quite meet fan expectations, and the online action RPG received mixed reviews for its directionless gameplay, numerous technical problems, and a lack of NPCs. Bethesda did work to address these concerns, but even some of its attempts to rebalance and improve the game were met with criticism. Fallout 76 is a better game now than when it launched, but it was definitely disappointing to many Fallout fans.
Faith in the Fallout franchise may have been a little shaken in recent years, but it still has a special place in gaming culture and a dedicated group of fans. Mods have helped to keep the previous games alive, like an upcoming mod for Fallout 4 that takes players to a post-apocalyptic version of London. It's clear there's continuing interest in a single-player Fallout experience, as games like Fallout 4 still have an engaged community even seven years after its initial release. There are several ways that Bethesda could continue to capitalize on this, but one method is to focus on remastering the previous games while fans wait for the next entry.
The Argument For Fallout Remasters
Some players can have complicated relationships with remastered games. There are those that think the originals are still great and there is absolutely no need to mess with them, while others believe that developers should be focusing on new IPs and new entries into franchises, rather than looking backward. There are certainly arguments that support both of these opinions, but many gamers love a good remaster. They can help to bring older and potentially forgotten games to wider audiences, let gamers experience essential DLC that they might have missed, and can help to bring titles into the modern gaming sphere with all of the benefits that entails. Recent remasters like Mass Effect: Legendary Edition didn't fundamentally change the original trilogy of games, but it did improve them immensely.
Bethesda may not have originated the Fallout franchise, but when it acquired the rights to it in 2007 from Interplay Entertainment it became synonymous with the series. The earlier games that were made prior to Bethesda's acquisition are now under its control, and this clears the way for a slew of remastered titles. The first two games came out in the 1990s, so a remaster would give players a basically unrecognizable gaming experience with modern graphics, gameplay elements, and aesthetics. Considering how old the earlier games are, it's likely that many of today's Fallout fans have never even played the first two, and remastering them would be an excellent opportunity to ensure they're not just consigned to history.
With rumors that Obsidian may be working on a Fallout New Vegas 2, now seems like the perfect time for Bethesda to counter with a collection of Fallout remasters. Whatever gamers may feel about remasters in general, the truth is that substantive Fallout content is probably a long way away, and while there may be plenty of Bethesda releases to enjoy until then, remasters of the previous games would successfully scratch that Fallout itch until more news of Fallout 5 can be released.
Fallout 5 has been announced.