With Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition, Fallout: New Vegas 2 is more possible than ever, yet even if it is somehow Obsidian's secret project, it's likely years away.
That's a good thing for the game ultimately, as it can look at the current competition on the market, look at what the mainline titles got right and wrong, and even went well or didn't go so well for the original New Vegas. While there's valuable lessons everywhere, one of note is Dead Money and how it gambles with the player's very life.
The Gamble of Dead Money
In many games, DLC is unconventional compared to its main campaign, meaning players are typically okay when a DLC is more streamlined or something along those lines. That's the case for Dead Money in such a way, as once players arrive, Elijah equips them with Collar 21, a special kill collar, until they complete the heist. What's risky about this is not only does it really streamline the events of the DLC, but it puts the character's life on the line.
In a game like Fallout: New Vegas, which emphasized choice and open-endedness, streamlining content with this sort of condition may appear strange and risky. Fans who want to leave Sierra Madre simply cannot, moving into the wrong areas results in death, and based on the collar's lore, there's a dead man switch that prevents players from killing each other to some ends. As a result, Fallout: New Vegas literally traps players with this DLC, something other developers may be wary of.
However, that's what makes Fallout: New Vegas feel so unique compared to FO3 or FO4; its wasteland is far different. The wasteland feels more alive, adapting to changing times instead of staying mired in the destruction of the past, and its characters do as well. Elijah's ambition to get into the Vault and his subsequent need to escape the Sierra Madre all align with this DLC design—this is what a Fallout character with Elijah's personality, goals, and capabilities would do. It may not seem like the most fitting design for the game, but it was a risk that paid off.
The Pay Off for Fallout: New Vegas 2
Fallout New Vegas' Dead Money DLC brought the Big MT into play, with Elijah having visited there before. As a result, there is a series of connections tied into the story, which is likely a pushing factor for many players at this point. It's beautiful pay off against Ulysses in Lonesome Road is to be commended, and this risk was just part of that.
Using interesting risks with pay-offs in the long run as well as the short term open avenues for mission and gameplay designs that others may turn away from. The very name of the game would imply some sort of gamble, as does the title of this DLC, and it goes a long way in nailing that aspect. Fallout: New Vegas 2 should incorporate similar elements that would add variety, suspense, and a change of pace from whatever its original campaign could or would look like.
A new Fallout game is not confirmed to be in development.