The future of Fallout is somewhat uncertain, as Bethesda is pushing full steam ahead on The Elder Scrolls 6 at the moment, and likely will be for some time yet. There's also the Fallout TV show, whose landmark success could mark the franchise's shift into the realm of passive entertainment, with gaming taking a back seat. Having said that, it's probable that another Fallout game will rear its head before too long—the only question is what it will look like.
Recent Bethesda games have caught a bit of flak for lacking experimentation and innovation, and while some critiques in this vein are a bit overblown, there's some truth to the general argument. Bethesda does try new things with each game—the fact that Starfield is a new IP rather than a sequel or spin-off is a testament to that—but the broad-strokes formula of its RPGs has gotten a bit static. At this point, some long-time fans are wondering what else the developer can pull out of its hat for the next Fallout game: will it simply be another post-apocalyptic sandbox, or something more experimental? The classic Fallout template probably isn't going anywhere, but it could be worth approaching the franchise from a radically different angle, pushing out a game set long before the horrible bombs turned the world into an ashen wasteland.
How Starfield Can Take from Fallout to Achieve Lift-Off
Starfield may not have yet reached the heights of the stratosphere in terms of reception, but it could follow a trail blazed by Fallout in one way.
Why Bethesda Should Explore the Possibility of a Pre-War Fallout Game
A Pre-War Fallout Could Tell a Riveting Story
The specific circumstances leading up to Fallout's Great War are obfuscated, and this is by design: leaving certain matters up to interpretation not only makes Fallout more intriguing and interpretable, but also highlights the sense of confusion and paranoia that one would experience living in such a world. In other words, there's no way for the lead characters of Fallout to get a definitive answer about how the Great War started, or what party launched the first strike, so there's no way for the audience to know, either.
Even so, drawing back the curtain a little bit through a prequel game could have merit. Such a story wouldn't need to completely illuminate every element of the Great War conflict, of course, but it could offer insight into several key players, organizations, and the broader political issues of the time, much like what was done via flashbacks in the Fallout TV show. Speaking of which, the show unfolds Vault-Tec's insidious role in the leadup to the Great War, shedding more light on its plans for human experimentation and even suggesting that the company itself influenced the dropping of the bombs—details that could be further fleshed-out in a pre-war game.
A Pre-War Fallout Game Wouldn't Have to Be Hogtied to Tradition
One of the obvious limitations of a Fallout game set before the Great War could actually be its greatest strength. With no wasteland crawling with Raiders, mercenaries, and grotesque mutants, there simply wouldn't be opportunities for classic Fallout gameplay. The series' action-RPG and loot-based elements would have to be replaced by something else, and this could open the door to some much-needed mechanical switch-ups.
Maybe this theoretical game could be less combat-oriented, instead focusing on social simulation and investigation, like a retro-future version of L.A. Noire. Or perhaps it could borrow elements from the stealth and immersive sim genres, tasking players with sneaking around various locations as a corporate spy or saboteur. Even a narrative-driven CRPG experience ala Disco Elysium could work under this premise, offering a radically new, but no less ambitious and grand, story and gameplay experience for Fallout fans. The point is, the sky is the limit with this prequel premise, so it shouldn't be completely off the table.
Fallout 76
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 54 /100 Critics Rec: 9%
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
