Fallout is one of Bethesda's most popular IPs, right up there with The Elder Scrolls. And just like the latter, Fallout games tend to be big, seminal hits when they do release. However, while Bethesda reportedly has ideas for Fallout 5, there is no indication that it’s anywhere near active development.
But, that doesn’t mean fans won’t be getting any Fallout content in the future. Amazon is working on a TV series, having announced showrunners for it, that is reportedly entering production this year, and most recently, that has tapped a lead role. According to reports, Walton Goggins will take on the lead role of the Fallout TV series, and according to many rumors and other reports around that, he will also be playing a Ghoul.
Playing a Ghoul In Fallout
This, while it should be taken with a grain of salt, is a big deal. The lead role being a Ghoul would suggest that this Fallout TV series is about the world and the post-Nuclear War world from a Ghoul’s perspective, and that’s something players of the franchise have always wanted. Fallout lets players choose their characters, but they’ve always been limited to a human man or woman.
This stands in stark contrast to The Elder Scrolls, which has a plethora of races to choose from, but it’s likely because Bethesda tends to try to tell very emotional, human stories within Fallout—the search for one’s father and the search for one’s son. Nonetheless, fans have wanted Fallout character creation to include ghouls, super mutants, synths, and more. But, likely because of this approach to “human stories,” this has never happened.
This is ironic for the TV series then. While it’s not confirmed, seeing a Ghoul’s take on the Fallout world and seeing it through their eyes is something fans have wanted for quite some time. In that aspect, the Fallout TV series is beating the game series to the punch. This, unfortunately, doesn’t suggest that Fallout 5 will be able to do so, but if the TV series is successful with a non-human lead character—if again, that is the case—then perhaps it’ll make its way to the games too.
Of course, that depends on a lot of factors including when and if Fallout 5 ever releases. Conservative estimates, based on Bethesda’s typical approach and current development of The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield, suggest that Fallout 5 landing before 2030 is unlikely, so that’s a lot of time to figure out how to work out a story for humans, synths, ghouls, and so forth.
Fallout 5 is not known to be in development.