Former Bethesda Lead Artist Nate Purkeypile says he'd like to see Fallout go to New Orleans in the next entry. Fans have known for a while now that there will be more mainline games in the series, but the wait has stretched for years with still little to no word on what to expect. With the future of the Fallout franchise remaining a mystery, fans and former devs alike have begun speculating on what it could include and what they'd like to see.
Despite Fallout 4 coming out over a decade ago and Fallout 76 being over seven years old, the series is in the middle of an indisputable revival. The tie-in Amazon show's second season has propelled the IP back into the mainstream, causing nearly all Fallout games to see a player count spike, with some entries' concurrent player counts more than doubling. All this hype has inevitably led to questions about Fallout 5, which Bethesda has confirmed but offered precious little about.
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Former Bethesda Artist Has "Always Wanted to See What Fallout Would Be Like in the Deep South."
In an interview with Esports Insider, Purkeypile, who's worked on Fallout 3, 4, and 76, said that he's "always wanted" to see the series go to the Deep South. More specifically, he pointed to New Orleans as an ideal setting for Fallout 5, pointing out how the city and its surrounding area is rich with culture and "interesting places to visit" but hasn't seen a lot of representation in games. It's unclear whether Purkeypile brought up this idea while at Bethesda, but with few details about the next game other than Fallout 5 taking place either during or after the show, anything may be possible, and the former Bethesda dev makes a strong argument for the Big Easy.
Purkeypile went on to talk about how Americana is core to the Fallout identity. Those close ties to American history and culture mean fans may not see an official version of the Fallout: London mod anytime soon, and Atomfall offers a Fallout-like experience in the UK to fill that niche, but it makes a Deep South setting make all the more sense. The South has a distinctly American identity but simultaneously offers a unique culture and history within that umbrella that Fallout has yet to explore. Gunslinging gameplay and lighthearted but poignant jabs at American exceptionalism would also feel right at home in a post-apocalyptic Louisiana.
Many fans have taken a different stance and brought up the idea of Fallout 5 in New York City, but Purkeypile does not share the same enthusiasm about it. While he admitted he had heard people talk about Fallout in the Big Apple, he commented, "man, I don’t need another game set in New York. There are so many New York games." It's easy to see why the artist may feel tired of the metropolis. There are many big games set in New York City, from Marvel's Spider-Man to Deus Ex, not counting fictional locations clearly based on it, like Gotham and Liberty City. There may be a handful of games set in New Orleans out there, but the South as a whole hasn't received nearly the same amount of attention.
For now, it's impossible to say for sure where Fallout will go next. It's looking increasingly likely that Fallout 5 won't come out this decade, as Bethesda is aiming to release the long-awaited Elder Scrolls 6 first. So, there is plenty of time to speculate about where the game could take place, whether that's in New Orleans, New York, or somewhere else entirely.
Fallout 76
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