Bethesda Game Studios just confirmed the worst-kept secrets in gaming. Remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are real and in development, Obsidian Entertainment is officially working on a brand-new Fallout game, and Fallout 5 is in pre-production.
It all came in one statement posted to the studio's X account on Friday (July 17th). "We love making these worlds as much as you love playing in them," the note opens. "Today, we want to share what's next for Bethesda Game Studios and what you can expect from us in the years ahead."
The remaster line is short and sweet: "While we're not announcing any dates today, we have been working on remasters for both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas." No platforms, no screenshots, no release windows. A Fallout 3 remaster first showed up on paper in leaked court documents from the Microsoft-FTC case back in 2023, and until Friday, Bethesda itself had never said a word. Both remasters remain undated.
Then there's Obsidian. "The wasteland continues to expand as we team up once again with our longtime friends at Obsidian Entertainment," the statement continues. "We're happy to confirm they're working with us on a new Fallout project." That makes official the report we covered about the New Vegas studio returning for a brand-new game, reportedly led by original director Josh Sawyer. Bethesda didn't name the project or anyone attached, and it's a separate project from the New Vegas remaster. Todd Howard told Bloomberg he "could not be more excited to work with Obsidian again."
Sixteen years after New Vegas, Obsidian is back in the wasteland!
As for Fallout 5 itself: "Fallout 5 remains our long-range destination, and we have multiple Fallout projects in active development right now." The game is in pre-production while the majority of the studio stays on The Elder Scrolls VI, which Bethesda calls its "primary development focus today." Both it and Fallout 5 are being built on Creation Engine 3, the studio's new shared technology platform. Pre-production is real movement, but temper those expectations. The last time Fallout 5 made headlines, the update left fans heartbroken, with the community's math pointing at the end of the decade, and possibly the early 2030s.
Next year, Fallout 76 gets a major expansion called "Raven Rock," a prequel story set before the events of Fallout 3. If that name rings a bell, you've fought your way out of it before - Raven Rock was the Enclave's underground stronghold in Fallout 3.
Bethesda is also skipping its traditional Fallout Day broadcast this year, and it's planning something bigger in its place: a live event in Washington, D.C., Fallout 3's own backyard, for the franchise's 30th anniversary next year (the original Fallout first hit PCs back in 1997). Fallout Day falls on October 23rd - the day the bombs fell in the series' lore!
The rundown:
- Fallout 3 remaster - in development, no date
- Fallout: New Vegas remaster - in development, no date
- Obsidian's new Fallout project - confirmed, no date
- Fallout 76 "Raven Rock" expansion - next year, a Fallout 3 prequel
- Fallout 5 - in pre-production, no date
- The Elder Scrolls VI - the studio's primary focus, on Creation Engine 3, no date
- Fallout Day live event in Washington, D.C. - next year (Fallout Day is October 23rd)
If all of this feels familiar, you've been reading the right site. An insider claimed the Fallout 3 remaster was still in development despite delays back in May of last year, and Windows Central's Jez Corden leaked a timeline for both remasters that had neither arriving before 2027. Corden turned out to be one of the two journalists Howard sat down with for this announcement, alongside Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. The leaks were right the whole time!
Coming off the roughest stretch Xbox has had in years, the statement reads like a deliberate reset in how Bethesda talks to fans. "We do realize we need to find a way to say a bit more so that our fans understand what we're doing and why, while also protecting that moment when you really see the game and you press play," Howard told Bloomberg. Forty years into Bethesda Game Studios' run, this is more of its roadmap than we're used to seeing at once.
So, what do you think? Which remaster are you loading up first - the Capital Wasteland or the Mojave? What does Fallout 5 have to get right for you?
Sound off in the comments below!
Related GameFragger Stories