Franchises with multiple entries face a number of problems. Sometimes there can be a sizable amount of time in between entries, and the narrative can lose its momentum or the playerbase can lose interest. That can be why some games, likethe long-runningSplinter Cellfranchise, choose to reboot and start afresh while still maintaining the essence of the series. Others, like BioWare’s belovedMass Effect,tide fans over while they wait for an upcoming release with a remastered collection, but some just soldier on, banking on players waiting until the next installment even if that is years and years away.
With Bethesda’s director and executive producer Todd Howard’s recent comments about progress onFallout 5and when players might expect to play it, many fans are worried about when they’ll next see some major newFalloutcontent. There’s no release window forFallout 5, and things are very much in the early stages, but given what else Bethesda is working on and how those games relate to the nextFalloutinstallment, it’s safe to say gamers won’t be playing it anytime soon. In the meantime, many fans are hoping that Bethesda considers going down the remaster route whileFallout 5is in the works.
RELATED:Fallout 5 Sounds Like It’s a Decade Away
Breaking Down Todd Howard’s Comments
Bethesda has been fairly tight-lipped about its recent games.Starfield, the studio’s first new IP in over two and a half decades, has faced a lot of scrutiny from the gaming community ever since it was announced. In the years since, relatively little has leaked out about the upcoming sci-fi space epic, and gamers were increasingly curious aboutwhatStarfieldmight have in store. Now that the game is nearing its launch, Bethesda has opened up a lot more about whatStarfieldentails and shown off substantial parts of the game, but that doesn’t mean it has revealed any other juicy details about its additional titles in development.
The Elder Scrolls 6is almost as much of a mystery now as it was when it was first revealed, and details aboutFallout 5are nonexistent. In fairness,Fallout 5has been confirmedbut development hasn’t actually started just yet, so it’s not as if Bethesda would have anything to show fans anyway. What’s more,The Elder Scrolls 6was first announced way back in 2018, and by some accounts, it’s still not that far along yet, mainly thanks to a larger focus being placed onStarfield.
Todd Howard may have confirmed thatFallout 5was on the way, but he said that work won’t even begin until afterThe Elder Scrolls 6is out, and that game is still in pre-production.WithStarfieldstill to releaseandThe Elder Scrolls 6still to finish, it seems as ifFallout 5could be a decade away at this point, which makes its confirmation feel ridiculously premature.
The State Of The Fallout Franchise
While the news thatFallout 5will release at some point is exciting for many players, Bethesda may have a little work to do before then to get fans back on theFallouttrain. When it first launched,Fallout 76didn’t quite meet fan expectations, and the online action RPG received mixed reviews for its directionless gameplay, numerous technical problems, and a lack of NPCs. Bethesda did work to address these concerns, but even some of its attempts to rebalance and improve the game were met with criticism.Fallout 76is a better game nowthan when it launched, but it was definitely disappointing to manyFalloutfans.
Faith in theFalloutfranchise may have been a little shaken in recent years, but it still has a special place in gaming culture and a dedicated group of fans. Mods have helped to keep the previous games alive, likean upcoming mod forFallout 4that takes players to a post-apocalyptic version of London. It’s clear there’s continuing interest in a single-playerFalloutexperience, as games likeFallout 4still have an engaged community even seven years after its initial release. There are several ways that Bethesda could continue to capitalize on this, but one method is to focus on remastering the previous games while fans wait for the next entry.
RELATED:What Fallout 76 Should Explore When Returning to The Pitt
The Argument For Fallout Remasters
Some players can have complicated relationships with remastered games. There are those that think the originals are still great and there is absolutely no need to mess with them, while others believe that developers should be focusing on new IPs and new entries into franchises, rather than looking backward. There are certainly arguments that support both of these opinions, but many gamers love a good remaster. They can help to bring older and potentially forgotten games to wider audiences, let gamers experience essential DLC that they might have missed, and can help to bring titles into the modern gaming sphere with all of the benefits that entails.Recent remasters likeMass Effect: Legendary Editiondidn’t fundamentally change the original trilogy of games, but it did improve them immensely.
Bethesda may not haveoriginated theFalloutfranchise, but when it acquired the rights to it in 2007 from Interplay Entertainment it became synonymous with the series. The earlier games that were made prior to Bethesda’s acquisition are now under its control, and this clears the way for a slew of remastered titles. The first two games came out in the 1990s, so a remaster would give players a basically unrecognizable gaming experience with modern graphics, gameplay elements, and aesthetics. Considering how old the earlier games are, it’s likely that many of today’sFalloutfans have never even played the first two, and remastering them would be an excellent opportunity to ensure they’re not just consigned to history.
With rumors that Obsidian may beworking on aFallout New Vegas 2, now seems like the perfect time for Bethesda to counter with a collection ofFalloutremasters. Whatever gamers may feel about remasters in general, the truth is that substantiveFalloutcontent is probably a long way away, and while there may be plenty of Bethesda releases to enjoy until then, remasters of the previous games would successfully scratch thatFalloutitch until more news ofFallout 5can be released.
Fallout 5has been announced.
MORE:Grand Theft Auto 6, Red Dead 3 Are in the Same Boat as Elder Scrolls 6, Fallout 5
