Developer Bethesda Game Studios already has early plans for Fallout 5, but the next post-apocalyptic RPG is still years away. The studio is responsible for the latest entries in the Fallout and created the Elder Scrolls fantasy saga. Currently, Bethesda Game Studios is developing sci-fi RPG Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls VI will reportedly follow that ambitious game's November 2022 release.
Between the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises, Bethesda has produced some of the most well-known role-playing games in recent memory. The developer is known for crafting unique open worlds and questlines for players to explore. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in particular, is often regarded as one of the greatest games to release in the last decade. However, with upcoming outer space epic Starfield, Bethesda looks to be pushing its development process to new limits. Starfield will use Creation Engine 2, a new evolution of the Creation Engine which Bethesda has used in previous titles. This new game engine will hopefully lead to innovations in Starfield, The Elder Scrolls 6, and possibly Fallout 5 down the line.
In an interview with IGN, Bethesda Game Studios director and executive producer Todd Howard reveals the developer already has early plans mapped out for Fallout 5. Because Bethesda has confirmed Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 are its next two projects, Howard was asked if a new Fallout installment may be given to a different developer, such as sister Xbox studio and Fallout: New Vegas creator Obsidian Entertainment. In response, Howard explained the nuclear role-playing franchise is "really part of [Bethesda's] DNA," before revealing a one-page design document for Fallout 5 has already been written. This "one-pager" is a single-page document outlining the major ideas and concepts of the project in its early development process. While the game won't be arriving any time soon, Bethesda seems to have solid ideas about what Fallout 5 could look like.
While no official ideas about Fallout 5 were shared by Howard, the franchise's next open-world adventure has been widely speculated on. 2018's multiplayer installment Fallout 76's criticisms continue to hang over it, and a traditional single-player game is highly anticipated by those left disappointed by the online game. Fan rumors about Fallout 5 often focus on the series' next post-apocalyptic destination, with iconic American cities such as New Orleans and Chicago often receiving mention. However, some Fallout life outside of the United States has long been a subject of curiosity, since the franchise has so far never given concrete details about the state of the rest of the world.
Bethesda Game Studios is one of the gaming industry's most popular developers, and it appears the studio's internal plans stretch well into the future. Starfield is not slated to release until the end of 2022, and then The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely launch within a few years of it. This means Fallout 5 could be somewhere around five years away, yet Bethesda and Todd Howard have already drafted a one-page rundown likely consists of the game's major features and setting. For Fallout series fans, wondering what that document could contain is an exciting prospect.
Source: IGN