Following the massive success of the Fallout TV show and subsequent resurgence in sales of previous installments, rumors that Microsoft was interested in fast-tracking the next mainline single player game. Even Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer subtly hinted at that possibility in a recent interview.
However, in a lengthy video chat with MrMattyPlays, Bethesda’s Todd Howard clarified there’s no interest from the studio in rushing out a new Fallout game.
I agree with the statement that Fallout has never been more popular, looking at the number of players coming into those games and obviously the popularity of the TV show. We give a lot of thought to franchise management. I spend a lot of time thinking about franchises I love and what I’ve seen out there in terms of content. For us, it’s sort of game planning out, number one, making sure Fallout is relevant in the world. I think, well, clearly it is, and people are hungry for even more.
We’ve never stopped doing Fallout work. A lot of that work goes on obviously in Fallout 76. We have just had the Skyland Valley update, so we’re really, really excited with where that game is at. We feel really fortunate and the team, I’m so proud of the work that’s been done there.
For other Fallout games in the future, you know, obviously I can’t talk about those right now, but I would say rushing through them, or we need to get stuff out that is different than the work we’re doing in 76… We don’t feel like we need to rush any of that. Right now, the Fallout TV show fills a certain niche in terms of the franchise and storytelling. I totally get the desire for a new mainline single player. Look, these things take time. I don’t think it’s bad for people to miss things. We just want to get it right and make sure that everything we’re doing in a franchise, whether it’s Elder Scrolls or Fallout or now Starfield, that those become meaningful moments for everybody who loves these franchises as much as we do.
Todd Howard also shared that Bethesda Game Studios titles registered 25 million players last month, a new record for the developer.
Our games have never been more popular. Last month we had 25 million players in our games. It’s just a staggering amount of people and players that we hear from where our number one job always is: how are we serving that audience on a month-to-month basis so we’re taking care of them while also developing new products.
He also talked about the future of Starfield, chiefly its first annual expansion; you can read more about that here.
