Is Bethesda hinting that we will be seeing a Fallout Online reveal?
Yesterday might well have been the most significant day in gaming (to me at least); all thanks to Bethesda. Out of nowhere on Twitter, they posted a gif of the typical Fallout title screen with ‘Please Standby’.
As you can imagine, there was so much hype surrounding this; the tweet garnered over 57,000 retweets and more than 125,000 likes.
Bethesda wisely followed this with a live stream on Twitch, which brought in an incredible 140,000 concurrent viewers – all there to watch a Fallout bobblehead. Interestingly, it wasn’t just about the bobblehead, as there were some quite weird and surreal moments throughout the stream, that has been live for almost 24 hours now. These moments included vice-president of Bethesda software, Pete Hines, popping in to drink coffee, and a man in a Skyrim t-shirt whispering something.
So what does this all mean? Well, it certainly looks like there is a new release on the horizon, but what game are we getting excited about? We’re going to have a look at some of the most likely options.
Fallout 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7a1GVlC9SM
Well, many believe that we could be getting a remastered version of Fallout 3, which was released back in October of 2008. The timing would make sense – what with it being the 10th anniversary later this year. A Fallout 3 remaster be a likely candidate over a new game, with it being incredibly unlikely that we would get a new entry in the franchise so soon after Fallout 4.
The Lone Wanderer’s game was full of bugs, so would be perfect for a remaster to take advantage of current technological advances and graphical capabilities, whilst combining all of the downloadable content over the game’s lifespan. If you’re a gambler, this would be your best bet, but they could always throw us a curve ball.
Fallout 1 + 2 mobile
It is 21 since Fallout 1 was released, and almost 20 years since Fallout 2. Back then, these games were point and click adventures and had turn-based combat; something which is a million miles away from today’s combat system. We could potentially either see all three games remastered, or the first two released on mobile. The original was only 600 megabytes so would easily be transferable to IOS and Android.
Also, following the massive success of Fallout Shelter, it could be a brilliant revenue stream for Bethesda if they decided to add microtransactions (probably to the despair of some).
Fallout: New Vegas Remastered or sequel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_-6ymuk9i4
This is the one I am most hopeful for because this game was my personal favourite of the series. It had an excellent storyline, some fantastic DLC, and some of the best companions you could ever wish for. This was announced back in April 2009 and actually released in 2010.
While a remastered version with updated graphics would be lovely, there is a potential sequel that could work thanks to the very open ending of the game. Depending on who you sided with in the end, whether that be Mr House, the NCR or Caesar’s Legion, you would get a cut-scene ending – but no follow up on what happened after the battle at Hoover Dam. A sequel would be a great way to see what the real consequences of the Courier’s actions were, and how the Mojave Wasteland was surviving.
A new Fallout game
Very, very unlikely – but hey, it could happen, right?! The series hasn’t gone back to Los Angeles, and is yet to look at what is going on in the Southern States. Or the likes of New York. Or the Pacific North West.
There is also the possibility it could take a total shift in environment and let us take a look at what the Chinese have done since the end of the Great War. A man can dream.
Fallout Online
This has a bit more potential as it has already been rumoured, and was cancelled back in 2009. With the success of the Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout being one of the most popular game series of all time, surely now is the time to have a double take on an MMORPG. The problem with this, though, was there was some legal action between Interplay that is too complicated to talk about here. Personally, I am hoping that there is a Fallout Online reveal, at least one day.
Fallout: Battle Royale
Why not, eh?
A new Elder Scrolls game
Seriously, this would be one of the funniest swerves of all time. Two slight indications could mean we’re getting a new Elder Scrolls game, but we’re clutching at straws there.
The first was the guy wearing a Skyrim shirt. Probably more of a goof than hard evidence…
The second was someone in a peculiar mask. It reminded some viewers of one of the faces of Kagrenac. Again this is highly unlikely but, who knows?
Hopefully, we’ll find out soon enough what Bethesda has in store for us.