New reports from an industry insider indicate that Fallout 5 may have finally been “fully greenlit,” but this move may have come at Project Blackbird’s expense. These rumors are exciting for Fallout fans, especially after the series’ TV show became massively popular, greatly increasing the franchise’s audience.
Fallout is one of the most iconic series in gaming. Started by Interplay Entertainment in 1997, the rights to the Fallout franchise were eventually purchased by Bethesda, which developed highly successful titles such as Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. Released in 2015, Fallout 4 sold over 12 million units, greatly surpassing its predecessors in popularity, but the series has not received any mainline, single-player entries since then.
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PostsNow, in the latest episode of Xbox Two Podcast (spotted by Gamespot), Windows Central executive editor Jez Corden talked about the future of the Fallout franchise, claiming that Fallout 5 has been “fully greenlit” by Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax. However, Corden pointed out that he’s not sure which studio will be developing Fallout 5, as he believes that all of Bethesda’s core teams are busy with either Starfield’s DLC or the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6. Unfortunately, Corden also reported that Fallout 5’s confirmation came at the expense of Project Blackbird, which was reportedly canceled after the Microsoft layoffs. According to Corden, the Project Blackbird MMO was expensive to build and would have had a harder time competing with other established games, while the Fallout franchise was seen as a “surefire win,” so more resources were allocated to it.
Fallout 5 Could Have Been "Fully Greenlit" After Project Blackbird Was Canceled
CloseAlmost nothing is known about Fallout 5 at this point. Other recent rumors have pointed out that there are multiple games in the works at Bethesda, though. Earlier this month, journalist Jordan Middler suggested that an eagerly awaited Fallout game was in development at the studio. Additionally, there are multiple reports that Bethesda has been working on a Fallout 3 remaster.
The main game being developed at Bethesda, however, is The Elder Scrolls 6. Earlier this year, Todd Howard gave fans an update about The Elder Scrolls 6, reassuring them that the project is still on the way. Howard also said that the company “tried to define role-playing games and open world games for their generation," and the same will likely be the goal for the next entry in the franchise. TES 6 still does not have an official release date, and the game is not expected to be out before 2027 or later, so fans might have to wait a while.
