There's bad news for Fallout fans: Obsidian Entertainment has dashed hopes of Fallout: New Vegas 2. Moving the apocalyptic wasteland to the neon-clad world of New Vegas, the popular main series spin-off has become a cult classic in Fallout circles thanks to its unique storyline and colorful cast of characters.

Despite hitting consoles and PC in 2010, Fallout: New Vegas still grabs headlines thanks to gamers beating the game with just a pair of boxing gloves or being able to play as The Walking Dead's Negan. As the Fallout games continue to soar in popularity after the likes of 2015's Fallout 4, rumors of a Fallout: New Vegas 2 have been circling for years. Unfortunately, Obsidian doesn't plan on returning to the Mojave Wasteland any time soon.

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When one fan posted on Twitter and asked Obsidian what the chances of Fallout: New Vegas 2 are, the company's official account used a magic eight ball to give a grim prognosis:

It's a shame, considering that Fallout: New Vegas 2 had a surge in popularity this year. Bethesda assured players that it had big plans for the Fallout universe and teased a new game announcement at E3. Although this turned out to be the franchise's first MMO with Fallout 76, fandom went into overdrive that it could be New Vegas 2.

This could have something to do with Microsoft's upcoming acquisition of Obsidian. Phil Spencer promised to expand Microsoft's first-party titles, which should be helped by Obsidian's previous work on games like South Park: The Stick of Truth, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and Pillars of Eternity. It may be a blow to New Vegas fans for the moment, but let's remember that a sequel probably wouldn't work as an Xbox-exclusive, anyway.

On the flip side of this, a lack of progress on a New Vegas 2 isn't that surprising. Obsidian had a sad response to its lack of involvement with Fallout 76 and had already implied that its time with the series has probably come to an end. Following this, Bethesda boss Todd Howard cast further doubt over Obsidian working on a sequel when he said it's better to keep Fallout in-house and under the Bethesda Game Studios umbrella.

At the least, Fallout fans can still get their New Vegas fix with the ambitious prequel mod known as Fallout: New California. Set for release at the end of October, New Vegas' legacy lives on in New California. While Obsidian's news doesn't completely discount Fallout: New Vegas 2 from ever coming into existence, it looks increasingly likely it won't be from developers there. For the time being, it seems that players won't get to find out what new power rose from the ashes of the New California Republic, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House's regime.

MORE: Here's Why Bethesda Needs Fallout: New Vegas 2

Source: Obsidian