The Fallout franchise is one of the most celebrated in gaming. While Fallout 1 and 2 were great on the PC and earned a dedicated following, it was Fallout 3, released in 2008, that won over a wider legion of fans on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Many regard the game as one of the best of the last generation – its great story, V.A.T.S. combat system, and massive open world made for an experience that players loved, and wanted more of.
Having waited 7 years since Fallout 3, and 5 years since Fallout New Vegas, fans of the celebrated franchise are understandably growing anxious for a new installment. Now that the PS4 and Xbox One are well established, the expectation is growing that a Fallout 4 has to be in the cards soon for the latest-gen consoles. Bethesda, Fallout 3’s developer and the most likely studio to produce Fallout 4, has been officially reticent for the most part, offering little in the way of timelines or even confirmation that a Fallout 4 project is even in the works. However, little tidbits, leaks, and rumors over the past few years have allowed fans to piece together a rough idea of when we can expect a new game, and what form it will take. And recently, some new developments have given fans reason to get excited that Fallout 4 may actually be close to arrival. Here’s the story so far:
In 2012, Bethesda unwittingly lit the fire of fans’ curiosity when they posted job listings on their web site looking for programmers to work on “an unannounced game on future-generation consoles.” Then, in 2013, Erik Todd Dellums, the voice actor for DJ Three Dog from Fallout 3, stoked the flames with a cryptic Tweet, saying that fans could expect to see more of his character “very soon.” Commentators from IGN said at the time that Fallout was the most likely project that Bethesda would have begun working on, as its other franchises – The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein and Dishonored – had just seen recent releases.
“Many regard Fallout 3 as one of the best of the last generation – its great story, V.A.T.S. combat system, and massive open world made for an experience that players loved.”
Also in 2013, Kotaku delivered a bombshell in the form of leaked documents that seemed to be character descriptions and lines from scripted dialogue to a Fallout game. The documents, if they are indeed real, indicate that Fallout 4 will take place in Boston, and possibly the specific location of the MIT campus (called “The Institute” in the script). A speech, which seemed to be for the opening of the game, used the phrase “war – war never changes,” a hallmark of previous Fallout games’ openings. The Boston area makes sense as a possible location, since previous Fallout iterations have referred to (but never shown) a place called “The Commonwealth,” which was supposedly a post-nuclear Massachusetts. Intriguingly, Kotaku’s leaked documents also make reference to “Commonwealth Minutemen.”
The leaked documents also seemed to give us a lot more information about what Fallout 4 might be like. For example, the opening monologue might not be read by Ron Perlman, as the previous games had been. The documents imply that the player character will recite the opening instead. There will also, apparently, be a disc-jockey by the name of Travis Miles in Fallout 4 – which is interesting, if voice-actor Dellums is returning. Has Three Dog somehow moved from the Capitol Wasteland to The Commonwealth? Or will Dellums voice a new character? We can only guess at this point.
Maybe because of the huge breach of information from the leaked documents, Bethesda seemed to get even more tight-lipped throughout 2014. The company made no official announcements having anything to do with the Fallout 4 project. All we really have is an interview given in February of that year by Bethesda Game Director Todd Howard to Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Howard downplayed the possibility of Fallout 4 arriving soon, saying only that “it’s gonna be a while.”
“Leaked documents, if they are indeed real, indicate Fallout 4 will take place in Boston, and possibly the specific location of the MIT campus (called “The Institute” in the script).”
Which brings us to 2015, and why fans, such as myself, have reason to be particularly excited recently. In the last few months, developments have begun to accelerate even more. Bethesda has announced that they will host E3 in Los Angeles in June. This is interpreted by most as an indication that they have an announcement to make, since this studio is not one to have a huge presence at E3 unless they have a major reveal to announce. And most observers feel that it would likely be a Fallout 4 reveal. Furthermore, one website claims to have received emails from Bethesda insiders, confirming that E3 will indeed see a Fallout 4 announcement. The emails also, apparently, state that it would be on the PS4, Xbox One and PC only. Bethesda has also made some smaller moves behind the scenes, such as renewing their trademark for the Pip Boy and changing the artwork on the Fallout website to a Fallout 3-style image, rather than the New Vegas artwork.
On March 21st, Erik Todd Dellums once again used Twitter to hint that Fallout 4 is imminent. He tweeted that he had just recently done “something that will make all #ThreeDog fans smile.” If this is anything other than a Fallout 4 hint, it would be incredibly cruel, to say the least. Another March 2015 development seemed to firm up a possible release date for Fallout 4. Cyberland reported that an employee of Bethesda posted a LinkedIn comment that he “had been part of the development team for 3 years,” and that Fallout 4 was already planned for a May 2016 release. This comment matches up with the widely-agreed upon timeline of Fallout 4, as most industry insiders believe that work probably began in late 2012 on the new game.
“One thing is for certain: the eyes of the gaming world will be on E3 in June to find out if Bethesda delivers what Fallout fans have been waiting for.”
So there you have it; with all this smoke, there has to be fire. We can say with a pretty solid certainty that Fallout 4 is coming, possibly as soon as next year. Despite the secrecy of Bethesda, we actually know a fair bit about the new game: (1) it will come out in May 2016, (2) it will likely be set in the Boston area, (3) it might be on current-gen consoles and PC only, and (4) it will be frickin’ awesome. One rumor that has recently come out is that Fallout 4 might have a multiplayer component. This idea is based on a recent hiring by Bethesda of Josh Hamrick, an expert in online gaming. This one is really pure speculation, and we have no other evidence for the multiplayer aspect, if there is one.
One thing is for certain: the eyes of the gaming world will be on E3 in June to find out if Bethesda delivers what Fallout fans have been waiting for. Many pundits have speculated that, given Bethasda’s past history and timing of announcements of big new games, it makes perfect sense for them to be announcing Fallout 4 at E3 on June 14th. If you can’t attend the press conference live, Bethesda says that you will be able to watch it via a Twitch live stream (and if you can attend live, I would like to be your friend – call me!). Stay tuned!