Following a decade without a new mainline Fallout game, Bethesda has announced two remasters, confirmation of Fallout 5, and a sequel to New Vegas 2 from Obsidian. Readers express surprise and criticism over the sudden flurry of activity, attributing it to new Xbox leadership.
Sudden Fallout Revival
Reader Ashton Marley writes: "Unbelievable that it’s taken Bethesda this long to remember that they own Fallout. It’s over a decade since the last proper game (no, Fallout 76 doesn’t count) and it’s taken a new Xbox boss, who’s probably only there to shut the whole thing down, to tell them to get a grip of themselves." He notes that the new exec, who admits to knowing little about games, has spurred multiple projects in just a few months.
Marley criticizes Microsoft's studio management: "Microsoft management of these studios is so bad it’s almost criminal. They seem to want to give them creative freedom but that doesn’t mean just leaving them to do whatever they want." He argues that structure and limitations are necessary for productivity.
Late but Welcome
Another reader, Barney, comments: "So, no new Fallout for a decade and now we’ve got two new games and two new remasters? I guess Microsoft has finally had enough of Bethesda dragging its feet." He suggests the TV show's lack of accompanying games pushed the announcement, but believes the remasters can be produced quickly. Regarding Fallout: New Vegas 2, he says: "It doesn’t look like it’s going to necessarily be a follow-up, it’s just another Fallout game from the same developer. That makes me even more optimistic."
Mass Effect Pessimism
Reader Lenix expresses concern over BioWare's future: "Since we’re finally hearing about plans for Fallout now, I couldn’t help but think of my personal favourite action role-playing franchise… Mass Effect. I honestly can’t remember when the last official announcement about it even was." He laments EA's focus on sports games and the impact of management on BioWare's output. Regarding EA's upcoming buyout, he says: "A part of me hopes they’ll start paying for vanity projects, but the more realistic take is that Mass Effect has even less chance of getting a new game now."
Halo: Campaign Evolved Nostalgia
Reader Coinslot shares memories of the original Halo launch: "I see that Halo: Campaign Evolved is released on Tuesday. It reminded me of buying the original, along with Project Gotham Racing and the original Xbox in March 2002." He describes cycling to a midnight launch, being second in a queue of about 20 people, and playing until dawn. Despite his fondness, he doubts he'll buy the remaster due to the forced move to digital.
Other Reader Topics
On game preservation, reader Korbie Kratos argues: "Owning games and game preservation are important… the only permanent storage is in the cloud, where the files get transferred from device to device." He criticizes publishers for making no effort in preservation.
Reader Lumpy questions the God Of War TV show: "Am I the only one that thinks a God Of War TV show makes no sense? … some things just work better in their original form."
Regarding the upcoming World Cup, reader Kimble suggests EA Sports FC 27 could benefit from increased American interest but expects more microtransactions rather than gameplay improvements.
