Todd Howard Dismisses 'Fan Chatter' About Purported Rivalry Between Bethesda and Obsidian as the New Vegas Developer Starts Work on a New Fallout Game

Todd Howard has dismissed what helium described arsenic “fan chatter” astir a expected rivalry betwixt Fallout developers Bethesda Game Studios and Obsidian Entertainment.

The proposition of animosity betwixt the 2 studios revolves astir the thought that Bethesda resents Obsidian for making the much-loved Fallout: New Vegas, which immoderate see to beryllium the champion Fallout game.

But Howard himself has ne'er suggested this to beryllium the world of the studios' relationship, and so has outright dismissed it astatine times. For example, Howard told IGN backmost successful 2019 — aft Microsoft had bought Obsidian — that BGS has “always had a large narration with them” and, connected New Vegas, “there’s lone 1 radical that we truly spot to bash this, and it was awesome."

“For me, it was either this radical oregon nobody," Howard said.

Fast guardant to 2026, successful the aftermath of Xbox’s latest circular of layoffs and confirmation that Obsidian is erstwhile again moving connected a caller Fallout game, Howard told Windows Central that BGS is “super excited” to beryllium collaborating with the Avowed, The Outer Worlds, Grounded, and Pentiment developer.

"I admit immoderate of the instrumentality chatter, but down the scenes, there's a immense magnitude of communal respect [between Bethesda and Obsidian],” Howard said. “We're ever benignant of wondering if we could find a mode to enactment unneurotic successful the close way. And erstwhile those things travel up, I deliberation I decidedly look astatine the franchise each up, arsenic you spot successful the note, everything that's benignant of happening with Fallout.

"You benignant of say, is determination a mode oregon a model oregon a pouch wherever we could bash thing unneurotic that really, truly made sense? And truthful we're ace excited astir the opportunity, moving together.”

Howard's notation of "the note" is simply a notation to the roadmap BGS revealed today. It confirms Fallout 5 had entered pre-production and Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remasters are successful the works. While we present cognize Obsidian’s Fallout crippled is real, we don’t cognize what it is. Could it beryllium Fallout: New Vegas 2? Or possibly a antithetic Fallout crippled entirely?

Obsidian was deed by the Xbox layoffs, too, and reportedly canceled Avowed 2 arsenic portion of caller Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s absorption connected the company’s biggest franchises. That of people includes The Elder Scrolls VI, which is BGS’s focus.

"Fallout is 1 of our biggest priorities today," Howard said successful his connection to fans. "Fallout 5 remains our long-range destination, and we person aggregate Fallout projects successful progressive improvement close now.

"Fallout 76 continues to beryllium location to millions of players exploring Appalachia together. With astir 70 escaped updates released to date, the travel is acold from over. In fact, we person a large Fallout 76 enlargement planned for adjacent year: Raven Rock, a prequel communicative to Fallout 3.

"Fallout 4, the astir award-winning crippled successful the franchise, conscionable celebrated its 10-year day and precocious passed implicit 35 cardinal copies sold, continuing to pull a caller assemblage each year.

"We besides cognize galore players privation to revisit erstwhile Fallout experiences. While we're not announcing immoderate dates today, we person been moving connected remasters for some Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.

"Fallout Shelter continues to beryllium the astir fashionable mode to acquisition Fallout connected the go, with much than 250 cardinal players. There’s much up for Fallout Shelter, including caller Seasons. An unscripted Fallout Shelter tv task is besides successful the works with our partners astatine Amazon Studios and Kilter Films.

"We'd similar to congratulate Kilter Films and Amazon Studios connected the 10 Emmy nominations for Fallout Season 2. Production connected Season 3 is already underway.

"And portion we won't big a accepted Fallout Day broadcast this year, we're already readying thing peculiar for Fallout's 30th day successful 2027, erstwhile Fallout Day volition beryllium celebrated unrecorded successful Washington, D.C."

Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].