After years of vault door silence, the dusty wasteland might be opening up again. According to Windows Central’s Jez Corden, Fallout 5 has reportedly been greenlit, but with a big caveat that’s got longtime fans cautiously excited.
Not the core Bethesda team? Here’s the twist
Let’s get this straight: the main Bethesda Game Studios crew – the folks behind Fallout 3, 4, and 76 – are still neck-deep in Starfield DLC and The Elder Scrolls VI. According to Corden, that means they’re pretty much maxed out for years. So, who’s making Fallout 5?
Well… that’s the thing. Jez speculated during an episode of the Xbox Two Podcast that a new team could be spun up internally to handle Fallout 5, but he was clear that this part is not fully confirmed. So, grab your salt shaker for now.
One MMO sacrificed for the wasteland
Here’s the other big nugget: Fallout 5’s greenlight reportedly came at the expense of a ZeniMax Online Studios MMO that was in early development. Apparently, the cost of launching and supporting a new MMO long-term was just too high compared to backing a “surefire win” like a new single-player Fallout.
To quote Jez: “Do we want to sink a ton of money into getting [an MMO] to compete with the established players, or do we want to allocate that investment towards making Fallout 5?”
So, when will we see Fallout 5?
Don’t dust off your Pip-Boy just yet. Even if this rumor is 100% legit, Fallout 5 is barely getting started, so think late 2020s or even further out. As Jez put it, there’s no way it’s arriving before The Elder Scrolls VI is done and Starfield support winds down.
But hey, at least the Amazon TV show has given the franchise a jolt of life, and Fallout 76 still has a loyal crowd roaming Appalachia. The series isn’t dead: far from it. But a big, shiny, single-player Fallout is what fans have really been craving.
Should you be hyped?
Honestly? Let’s call it cautious hype. The idea of a fresh team taking a crack at the wasteland has good precedent, and Fallout: New Vegas is still legendary for a reason. If a new crew can channel that magic and push the series forward with modern tech, maybe the next Fallout can live up to its vault-sized legacy.
Stay tuned, lone wanderers
If there’s one thing this community knows how to do, it’s wait. Keep an eye out for leaks, dev updates, and maybe a teaser at some distant Xbox Showcase down the line. We’ll be right here to break open every Nuka-Cola bottle cap of news that comes our way.