Fallout: New Vegas 2: Will We Ever Get A Sequel?
Out of all the video game-related developments in 2020, one of the biggest by far is Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda. In one swift move (that may have been in the works since 2018), Microsoft upended the industry and all but dominated the news cycle. Most importantly, this acquisition stands to shape the future of Bethesda's premiere futuristic franchise, Fallout.
The concerns revolving around Fallout's future are numerous and deafening, but they can be summarised in two questions: Will Fallout be an Xbox exclusive, and will Bethesda's new management result in Fallout: New Vegas 2? The latter is slightly more pressing since many gamers regard New Vegas as the cream of the irradiated crop — and because Microsoft owns the game's developer, Obsidian Entertainment.
Since neither Microsoft nor Bethesda have announced New Vegas 2 — or stated the game is a pipe dream — one wonders if or when players might receive the game. Is a dedicated team hidden within the bowels of Microsoft or its subsidiaries trudging along to produce a sequel to Obsidian's beloved title, or has the company abandoned all potential New Vegas narratives? If you're ready to take a bite of this speculation sandwich, keep reading.
Not anytime soon, but that's a far cry from a no
When news hit the internet of Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition, many gamers expected word of Fallout: New Vegas 2 — or a different Bethesda sequel — to follow shortly. After all, Microsoft had all the pieces necessary thanks to its ownership of Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment. To add fuel to the fire, New Vegas project director and lead designer Joshua Sawyer stated in August 2020 he was "directing [his] own project now (it's just not Avowed)." Surely that meant New Vegas 2 was just over the horizon. Unfortunately, no.
During a livestream, Sawyer stated quite clearly that many people have asked if Obsidian is working on New Vegas 2 and that the answer is "no." He also doesn't know if the studio "might" work on the game, which implies that even if the studio started working on New Vegas 2 tomorrow, it wouldn't release for many years.
Of course, Sawyer's words don't rule out any possibility of New Vegas 2. During an interview with IGN, Sawyer professed his desire to return to the world of Fallout with another title. Whether or not he does is another story, but there is still a difference between "no" and "never," especially since Sawyer doesn't want "never" to happen.
Gamers don't necessarily need Obsidian to make their New Vegas 2 dreams come true
While Obsidian Entertainment developed what many believe is the best Fallout game ever, Obsidian is far from the only team to handle the Fallout name. Another obvious crew is Bethesda proper, but the most famous team to tackle Fallout is the company that started it all, Interplay Entertainment. While Interplay doesn't exist anymore, its founder, Brian Fargo, created another company called inXile Entertainment. And yes, that is the same inXile that Microsoft now owns.
InXile's claim to fame is Wasteland 2 and 3, which are direct sequels to the original Wasteland. Interplay wanted to develop Wasteland 2 after the first title's success, but EA's ownership of the property prevented that. So Interplay sidestepped the issue and created Fallout, a sequel in everything but name. When Fargo and inXile reclaimed the Wasteland name, they produced well-received games that recreated the classic isometric Fallout experience.
If Microsoft doesn't give the New Vegas 2 reins to Obsidian, it could easily give inXile a shot. Fargo created Fallout (and Wasteland), so who better to take up the mantle?