Summary
Leading up to the release ofStarfieldin late 2023, it has been made abundantly clearFallout 5is still many years away. This far-off release date means that expectations for both Bethesda and the genre as a whole are going to be extremely high whenever it does make its debut.
Ultimately, with a new engine, Microsoft’s support, recent and existing Bethesda RPGs to learn from, and the benefit of time,Fallout 5could turn out to be a huge step forward. In fact, it maybe so much of an upgrade that it is immediately distinct from any of the existingFalloutgames.
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Fallout 5 Is Going to Be a Massive Upgrade for the Franchise
StarfieldandThe Elder Scrolls 6will both arrive beforeFallout 5and leading up toStarfield’s release, thoughThe Elder Scrolls 6still doesn’t have a release date yet, indicating that the next games from Bethesda are a long way out. Especially considering thatThe Elder Scrolls 6may bethe end of Todd Howard’s time withTheElder Scrollsfranchise, the quality of the game is likely going to leave big shoes for theFalloutfranchise to fill.
Given how similar most of Bethesda’s franchises are in their RPG roots, the influence each of these franchises continues to share with each other is undeniable, so any improvements made inStarfieldandThe Elder Scrolls 6will surely be carried over toFallout 5. Even within the sphere of RPGs as an entire genre, some of Bethesda’s latest titles have been widely considered to be milestone benchmarks, setting high standards for any competition. With all the improvements that each upcoming game is expected to bring,Fallout 5has a lot to learn fromwhen it finally releases.
Speculation from insider sources and the video game community has placed the release date forFallout 5sometime around 2030, which if accurate would mean around a twelve-year gap betweenFallout 5and the previous game,Fallout 76. Relative to theFalloutfranchise, twelve years is the difference betweenFallout 2andFallout: New Vegas, which is an immediately noticeable shift in the series. For further context, currently, the largest gap between any of Bethesda’s franchise sequels is the gap betweenOblivionandSkyrimof roughly 5 years. With at least twice the time span of the largest gap inThe Elder Scrollsfranchise,Fallout 5is expected to be a massive upgrade over the previousFalloutgame.
In terms of where the story might go,Fallout 5could be a great opportunity to continue the overarching narrative of the franchise, instead of being another prequel in the series. The most recent game in the franchise leading up toFallout 5was a prequel, and this proved to be a double-edged sword. Whilethe story ofFallout 76gives more depth to the early events of theFalloutgames’ timeline, it fails to leave a lasting impression on the franchise since some of its major conflicts get resolved before reappearing in any of the games that take place afterward, at least so far.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesdais a partnership that givesFallout 5a lot more resources and support, and this is great news for the state of Bethesda’s upcoming games. Not only could they be more visually impressive, something that already seems to be happening withStarfield, but Microsoft can help ensure that Bethesda’s games are more polished before release. WithFallouthaving a reputation of being buggy, this could be a welcome change of pace.
So far, one specific resource thatFallout 5is anticipated to take advantage of is the newCreation Engine 2 thatStarfieldis using. Other than the new engine, though, it’s far too early to accurately gauge what else to expect fromFallout 5with specifics. At the same time, given how distantFallout 5’s release date is speculated to be, there are bound to be several overall improvements over the previousFalloutgame. With over a decade between releases being a legitimate possibility, the differences between the gameplay, visuals, and overall polish ofFallout 5and its predecessor could be night and day.
