Fallout 5 Release Gets Worrying Update From Bethesda

Todd Howard is opening up the vaults and tossing us into the Wasteland, as Fallout 5 finally gets confirmed by Bethesda. Yes, we'd always known the acclaimed developer known for The Elder Scrolls and the upcoming Starfield was tinkering away on the next chapter, but now, the Fallout 5 release has been given a disappointing update.

The long and complicated history of Fallout goes all the way back to 1997 when Black Isle Studios developed a humble RPG set in an apocalyptic wasteland. Just before Bethesda acquired the rights, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel moved the franchise into being an action-RPG in 2004. Still, it's under the stewardship of Bethesda and Howard that the Fallout name has really found its voice.

Fallout 5 Release Date: What's Going On?

If you're looking for a solid Fallout 5 release date, sorry, you're out luck. A seemingly throwaway comment from Todd Howard when discussing the recent Starfield gameplay to IGN has sealed the future (and fate) of Fallout 5. You only have to look at Starfield's lengthy production and Bethesda's packed slate to figure out it's not good news.

Confirming what Bethesda is working on now that Starfield is close to blasting off, Howard explained, "Yes, Elder Scrolls 6 is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to be doing Fallout 5 after that, so our slate’s pretty full going forward for a while. We have some other projects that we look at from time to time as well." Yikes, it's not exactly the "Fallout 5... coming 2024" news we'd hoped for. 

Remember, Starfield was announced at E3 2018 alongside TES6, however, the idea was first formed in 2013 and work started after Fallout 4 in 2015. There have been no updates on The Elder Scrolls 6, and with it now falling behind Fable on Microsoft's priority list, Bethesda's Xbox acquisition is having a knock-on effect. Either way, Fallout 5 has been pushed to the back of the queue. 

Fallout 5 Story: What's The Game About?

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With Fallout 5 seemingly being many years off, story details are non-existent. Howard previously told IGN: "Fallout's really part of our DNA here. We've worked with other [developers] from time to time – I can't say what's gonna happen. You know, we have a one-pager on Fallout 5, what we want to do." Despite being set in the same dystopian future of America, each Fallout game has managed to pivot to a different story. 

We recently covered the massive Fallout: London mod, and who could forget Obsidian's fan-favourite Fallout: New Vegas? If Bethesda really wants to surprise, it might be best to look further afield to really reinvent the wheel. With each new game from Bethesda, things seem to be getting bigger. Starfield apparently boasts over 1,000 planets to explore, while we can't even fathom how big The Elder Scrolls 6 is going to be. In the aftermath of the lacklustre Fallout 76 and its worrying crunch, let's hope Bethesda has learned some lessons.