Fallout: New Vegas 2is a term that has been tossed around several times in the past, among a litany of rumors of what was or wasn’t going on at Bethesda, Obsidian, and so on. But, after the debacle surrounding the first game’s release (despite its popularity), it was pretty clear to any onlookers thatFallout: New Vegas 2wasn’t happening.
However, the playing field has been reset as of late because of Microsoft’s buying sprees. Not only did Microsoft acquire Obsidian Entertainment a few years ago, but it has also acquired Bethesda. This is no surprise to gamers at this point, but theseObsidian and Bethesda acquisitions makeFallout: New Vegas 2more possible than ever before. Some had hoped that it was already a brokered deal between Obsidian, Bethesda, and Microsoft, but game development and deals take time.
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With all of this in mind, the recent rumors thatFallout: New Vegas 2is in early talks at Microsoftare believable. Specifically, according to well-known industry insider Jeff Grubb, the two words being thrown around are “Fallout: New Vegas 2” and “Obsidian.” There is allegedly a lot of interest in making this happen, but again, this is still early. Because of this and for a few other factors, fans should still be aware that the sequel toNew Vegasprobably won’t be ‘New Vegas 2’
Fallout: New Vegas 2 – A Sequel By Any Other Name is Just as Sweet
There are a few reasons for this, but the important one is time. These talks are early. If, and this is a very giving and hyptohetical timeline, the agreement was set this year,Avowedreleased in 2023, Obsidian came up with aNew Vegas 2blueprint, Josh Sawyer finished his RPG and joined/played a heavier role inNew Vegas 2by 2024, core development began around then, and—again, very giving timeline here—it would probably be 2027 or 2028 before it happened.
That would put the game nearly 20 years afterFallout: New Vegas’ 2010 release date…at the earliest. This is important because anything that could have come from another game set in New Vegas will be less so this long after. Instead of a prequel or sequel set in the same area, it makes as much sense as ever before for this to be more of an anthological serial than anything else. Time itself doesn’t favorNew Vegas 2at face value.
Some may argue that it should retainNew Vegas 2for brand recognition and a clear connection to the first game, but that’s not really necessary. Obsidian Entertainment was already an RPG powerhouse before Xbox’s acquisition, and extra resources help it push that bar even further. While it remains to be seen, saying anotherFalloutgame is coming fromthe developer ofThe Outer Worlds 2, Pentiment, Avowed, and so on is enough brand recognition, “Fallout” wise and developer wise.
Fallout New Vegas 2 Has a Lot of Places It Could Go
Calling itFallout: New Vegas 2would make it clear that it’s a successor of sorts to the first game, but it would also require players to, once again, be in New Vegas. Unless it was some sort of prequel, that’s unlikely. The thing to keep in mind is that everyFalloutsequel has been thematically or spiritually connected, but never directly. This applies toFallout 3andFallout 4as well. So, “Fallout: New Location” is probably the formula fans should expect.
This leaves open a ton of unique options for the next game, if it does ever occur. “New California,” “New Alaska,” or so on could take the same approach and breathe some life—as New Vegas did—into some post-apocalyptic town. Many, for a long time, have hoped forFallout: New Orleansas a spiritual successor, but all fans can do now is wait. And it sounds like quite the wait.
