Las Vegas, Nevada and New Orleans, Louisiana are separated by 1,700+ miles that are home to a variety of different ecosystems, but both cities are iconic to American culture. Whereas the former is about decadence, glamor, and the highs and lows of life on and off the gambling table, the latter is known for a nightlife like none other, a living music scene, a unique history, a spicy array of community favorite foods, and a mix of French, African, and American cultures in festivals such as Mardis Gras, in the vibrant occultism, and more. In short, both of these cities stand out among others, and that's at least one likely reason Las Vegas was chosen for Fallout.
While Sin City and the Big Easy may not be directly comparable, both are genuinely ideal locations for Fallout games. In fact, Fallout: New Orleans was once rumored back in the day following teases for a "Project Louisiana," but that was likely blind optimism at the time—it eventually turned out to be Pillars of Eternity 2. Further, there was little to no chance of Obsidian and Bethesda collaborating a few years ago, but with both RPG powerhouses now under Microsoft's roof, that may have changed. There's many reasons then that Fallout: NewOrleans could be a new project and spiritual sequel to New Vegas, and a picturesque image of what that could be is not hard to imagine.
Capturing the Beauty of New Vegas
One thing Fallout: New Vegas did well was capture Sin City being rebuilt and how the world had moved on beyond the wars that destroyed it. Whereas the decimation of the Great War remains prominent in most mainline games, New Vegas circumvents this in a nice way. Instead of frequent and somewhat strange depictions of people living in dilapidated buildings, New Vegas itself had limited exposure to the nuclear fallout, ironically making the Mojave a relatively safe place. Where the conflict in New Vegas comes from stands apart too, as while most games somehow tie back into the Great War and/or are basic post-apocalyptic plotlines, Fallout: New Vegas tells a refreshingly new one.
With various factions but three big ones vying for control of the Mojave—the NCR, Caesar's Legion, or Mr. House—Fallout: New Vegas' story is about power, control, and shaping the future. There's clear moral lines, but at the end of the day, it's the story of politics and a struggle for control, not about discovering how the player's father/son/water chip was taken and the greater ramifications in that for the post-apocalyptic world. The approach to the setting and the plot makes the already ideal setting pop even more.
New Vegas Locations and Landmarks
But the best part is how Fallout: New Vegas brings so many interesting locations and landmarks to life. To a degree, every Fallout game does this, but none have quite like New Vegas. Locations like Black Mountain, Boulder City, Goodsprings, Hoover Dam, Lake Las Vegas, Nellis AFB, the Old Mormon Fort, the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, the Searchlight Airport, and more are in-game locations designed and completely based off its real-world counterpart.
Further, there's a lot of parodies and use of history in New Vegas, further bringing the game. Parodies of Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino, Bonnie and Clyde, the Golden Nugget of the 20th century, the Stratosphere, and more. In other words, Fallout: New Vegas doesn't just take place somewhere and knock out some windows; it genuinely re-created the culture and world of Las Vegas.
New Orleans in Nuclear Fallout
New Vegas couldn't have perfectly created the world without something to base it in, and moving to the Big Easy from Sin City recreates the perfect set-up. As a spiritual successor (presumably), Fallout: New Orleans could make use of so many aspects of the city to create a more unique story. Unlike New Vegas which was safer than other parts of the world, it would seem that New Orleans would likely be more volatile. Attempting to travel through a bayou during a nuclear hurricane, seeing the French Quarter become the New Vegas Strip, and even the various occult shops set up the perfect opportunity for environmental storytelling.
And all of it translates well to a bigger, New Vegas-style story. For example, New Orleans has a history of adapting various bits of French, African, and catholic religion into seeing the world differently, opening up the perfect opportunity to see how these cultures have grown closer together or further apart far down the line. It would be interesting to see how someone of Cajun descent and someone with a strong NOLA faith interacted with the ideas of Ghouls. Assuming New Orleans has survived this long after the fallout, how does it stand, what does its power structure look like, and so much more are big questions with plenty of room for answers. To accomplish this, however, it would need a similar approach to New Vegas locations and landmarks.
New Orleans Locations and Landmarks
Just as New Vegas recreated its world with actual locations and parodies, New Orleans offers the same level of real-to-digital worldbuilding to work with. The French Quarter would be an interesting seat of power, complete with tightly-woven together buildings, and already a sense of age pre-fallout. Jazz and music has a strong presence here, and it would likely continue to do so far into the future; several of these locations could be used to accentuate the soundtrack of the game but also to tell how this music has influenced those post-apocalyptic. On top of this, there's the National WW2 Museum where people could be holed up, the steamboat Natchez that could still be running, the surrounding nature and bayous (mutated alligator the size of Fallout 76's scorchbeast?), and so much more.
In short, while Fallout has explored a ton of U.S. landmarks in its time, very few can capture the raw magic of locations like Las Vegas. New Orleans is one of few, even if it runs in a completely different direction, and it would be a worthwhile follow-up as a spiritual successor. Although the Microsoft and Bethesda deal is still going through its various loops, there's one thing certain about this: the once-stretched rumors of Fallout: New Orleans are more viable than ever now.
A Fallout: Las Vegas sequel has not been announced.