Bethesda Game Studios game director and executive producer Todd Howard recently commented on an upcoming Fall-out let go, build a lot of anticipation with his words. Of course, it's worth noting that these comments come at an interesting time for Bethesda and Fall-out IP.
Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media in 2021 and brought it under the Xbox umbrella, but the past year or so has been particularly unkind to Xbox. The company is reportedly carrying out mass layoffs and studio closures in July 2026, while Xbox Series X/S consoles are seeing a price hike due to the growing component crisis. Part of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's plan to address problems within the company is to invest more in key games, with both Fall-out and The Elder Scrolls is named. Beyond the games, however, there are other areas for growth, at least within Fall-out IP.
New Fallout game reportedly cancelled
A respected gaming journalist comments on a new, unannounced Fallout game developed by a Microsoft studio that is apparently being canceled.
Todd Howard Discusses Fallout Season 3 + Bringing “New Things” to the Franchise
During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Howard was asked about Fallout TV Season 3 and discussed the games in a very subdued manner. In short, he is enthusiastic about expanding the world of Fall-out and its geography; After all, Americana is the heart of Fallout. Fall-out Season 3 does, with Fall-out Season 2 hints at a new Colorado location for S3, which hasn't appeared in a mainline Bethesda game. In his own words, Howard said, “We talked about this at the end of Season 2 and hinted that we're going to new places.” He also added:
“So one of those things that we all love about Fall-out is the geography of the world and to be able to show some new things in Fall-out world that I think will surprise people, that they've never seen before in the games.”
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It will be interesting to see what these new things are, especially like Fall-out Season 2 went through some more nostalgic additions like the Deathclaws, but the addition of “never seen before in the games” surprises is exciting. Undoubtedly, this will have an impact Fallout 5. Howard revealed that earlier Fallout 5 is slated to take place after the TV show in the timeline, meaning anything “new” introduced in it could easily affect the story, gameplay, or even just references. In his own words he said “Fallout 5 will exist in a world where the stories and events of the show happened or are happening.”
It remains to be seen whether extra investment from Xbox, or however Sharma executes his plan, will help Fallout 5 or The Elder Scrolls 6 released earlier, but faster production is certainly a goal. That said, no matter how “fast” it is, Fallout 5 is still years away, which The Elder Scrolls 6 is under development. Howard said that most of Bethesda is working on The Elder Scrolls 6 now, with the understanding that the team must “get it right”.
What can help bridge the time between Fallout 5s possible releases are the rumored remakes of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegasbut even for these titles, fans will likely have a solid wait on their hands.
