A month ago, the idea of a new Fallout game from Obsidian Entertainment would have resulted in tons of laughter. After Fallout: New Vegas's 84 rating on Metacritic controversy, it seemed unlikely that the RPG giant would ever return to the franchise. However, that possibility is now alive and well again.
Microsoft has acquired Bethesda, and while the deal is in the process of being finalized before anything is technically official, that means both Obsidian and Bethesda are under Microsoft's wing now. The Xbox brand owner not only prepares for its future with this action, but perhaps it has managed to reconcile past feuds. Obsidian and Bethesda working hand-in-hand would be a bright future for all Fallout fans, after all.
Chances are, numbered titles of the franchise will continue under Bethesda, but Obsidian may be able to make use of the IP now too, Bethesda willing. This would mean that fans may see Fallout 5 in the future, but also Fallout: New Vegas 2. There's a good chance this is Obsidian's secret project, especially if Microsoft brokered negotiations before the Bethesda acquisition was made public. However, there's an alternative, as Fallout: New Vegas 2's biggest roadblock now is how a direct sequel in the Mojave Wasteland becomes railroaded into specific events. A simple fix for that lies in rumors of old, Fallout: New Orleans.
The Future of Fallout: New Orleans
If Bethesda does indeed keep working on numbered Fallout titles, it would make sense if Obsidian actually worked on a "new" subfranchise. This would mean that the sequel and success to New Vegas wouldn't really need to be in Vegas; instead, it could make use of the "new" in terms of naming conventions, an idea that has been tossed around before, meaning it would operate on a spiritual successor basis.
Once upon a time, Fallout: New Orleans was a popular rumor that circulated around. It actually had nothing to do with the franchise, despite a trademark seemingly suggesting so, with fans making the stretched assumption that a Louisiana imaged posted by New Vegas' Josh Sawyer somehow connected to this idea. There was a project Louisiana, but that actually turned out to be Pillars of Eternity 2. Fans managed to run with this, though, and ideas for a Fallout: New Orleans became a romantic idea of what could be.
Everything about the city practically screams perfect for a post-apocalyptic vaunt. The setting lends itself to mysterious vaults, irradiated alligators, and trechorous bayous, while the city itself would shine even more in the proper terrain. Settings such as the French Quarter would see bring the city come to life with Fallout flair, while the history of occultism would likely mean characters who saw the post-apocalyptic world differently would come into conflict with the players. Not to mention the volatile weather of the area being worsened by the nuclear fallout.
Of course what, if anything, comes out of Fallout as a result of this Bethesda deal remains to be seen. However, there is a small amount of hope for the game for the first real time: the rumors of Fallout: New Orleans may be dead, but perhaps the game lives on.
No new Fallout game has been announced.