While there hasn't been a new main entry in the series in a long time - not counting the 2018's MMO - the Fallout series is more popular than ever thanks to the Amazon Prime TV Show. The adaptation effectively rejuvenated the franchise, attracting millions of new players to its post-apocalyptic world and prompting them to explore older titles, such as Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.
The series' resurgence has also breathed new life into an old debate among the community: the "purist" first two entries versus the first-person RPGs developed by Bethesda Game Studios. According to Chris Avellone, the lead developer of Fallout: New Vegas - which many feel is the true successor to the original top-down games - the series' current direction has a simple reason: Bethesda doesn't fully understand its roots. Nor does it care.
Replying to a fan's question regarding whether Bethesda "hates" the original series on X, Avellone was remarkably clear: "I don’t think Bethesda hates Fallout, they just don’t fully understand its roots and arguably, don’t care - they own the franchise, and they just want to do their spin on Fallout and make that the norm."
This lack of deeper connection is what Avellone believes fuels the series' current design philosophy. "This usually translates into a colorful, shallow theme park (with some interesting DLC exceptions, like Far Harbor, Point Lookout – and I was one of the ones who liked The Pitt) – still, theme parks are fun for some folks, so if people enjoy it, that’s fine with me," Avellone pointed out.
Although these statements sound harsh, the Fallout New Vegas veteran clarified that he doesn't hate Bethesda, highlighting some of their strengths. "There are things they do well (open world exploration), and there are things they do badly (telling linear stories in open world games and their inability to understand how to use the Speech skill). But every developer has their pros and cons," Avellone concluded.
As someone who loves the first two entries and Fallout New Vegas, but could never really get into Fallout 3 or 4, I can only agree with Avellone's sentiment. While the Bethesda entries are undeniably solid open-world RPGs, they often feel like Fallout games only on the surface, missing those small elements that made the original games and the Obsidian title truly memorable.
Standing as one of the best modern entries in the series, a remastered Fallout: New Vegas would be an extremely welcome release to tide fans over until the release of the inevitable fifth entry, which may not see the light of day for a long time, with Bethesda still hard at work on The Elder Scrolls VI (which is facing significant pressure for being the sequel to one of the games of all times, according to a former employee). Hopefully, recent rumors suggesting the game is returning soon will prove to be correct, allowing us to finally revisit the Mojave Wasteland and experience it like never before.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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