Fallout 5has gotten the go ahead, according to recent rumors. Jez Cordon of Windows Central reports that Zenimax has approved thestart of development forFallout 5, potentially at the expense ofProject Blackbird, an MMO project from the team behindThe Elder Scrolls Online. Assuming these claims are accurate, the next few years should be rather interesting for Bethesda fans.
Of course, news ofFallout 5kicking off development in earnest is exciting, since the franchise hasn’t seen a proper, single-player entry in nearly a decade now, though this lapse in releases also makesFallout 5something of a given; everyone knew that Bethesda would be getting back to theFalloutfranchise sooner or later. Even so, the timing of this alleged tip-off is curious, as it comes during a time of uncertainty at Bethesda Game Studios:Starfield, the supposed next great step from the developer, hasn’t even been out for two years, and many have expected it to remain one of Bethesda’s top priorities for many years to come. But this optimistic vision ofStarfield’s future is faltering, andFallout 5could deliver the finishing blow.
With Bethesda Moving On to Fallout 5, Will There Be Room for Starfield?
Starfield Support Has Slowed, and Fallout 5 Could Bring It to a Complete Halt
Bitter as it may be to admit,Starfieldhasn’t had the cultural or financial impact that Xbox and Bethesda hoped that it would. It has its fans, no doubt, but it’s not the Game-Awards-sweeping, hotcake-selling phenomenon that many hoped it would be. It certainly doesn’t touch the significance or acclaim of something likeSkyrimorFallout 3, though there is still some hope that Bethesda will right the ship via free content drops and ambitious DLC. However, such hope is dwindling rapidly, asStarfieldisn’t having a crazy comebackby any means.
TheShattered SpaceDLC was perhaps the first nail in the coffin forStarfieldoptimism. Early patches, specifically the REV-8, sparked a great deal of excitement within the game’s fanbase, setting a high bar for the game’s first premium expansion. Sadly,Starfieldhas ostensibly been on ice since: Bethesda has stated that it has big plans forStarfieldin 2025, but that was several months ago, and the studio has made nary a peep about the game. WithShattered Space’s negative reception, there’s been some speculation that Bethesda will simply abandonStarfield’s DLC prospects, as they may no longer be worth the investment, though no concrete conclusions can be drawn about such content at the moment.
TheJune 2025 Xbox Games Showcasewould have been the most likely time for Bethesda to draw back the curtain onStarfield’s future, but the game never made an appearance.
All of this is to say that the rumored development ofFallout 5isn’t occurring in a vacuum: it’s arrived in the wake of a troubled Bethesda Game Studios launch. It’s not just thatFallout 5may divert resources fromStarfield, but that it would make fiscal sense to do so.
Falloutis on fire at the moment, withFallout 76survivingagainst the odds and theFalloutTV show giving the IP more prestige than ever;Starfieldis ice-cold, unlikely to ignite the passions of gamers at large any time soon.Fallout 5is likely viewed as a surefire success by ZeniMax and Microsoft both, and after the cloud of pessimism that has followedStarfield, Bethesda developers may be ready to move on to something a bit more familiar, with better optics.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
