Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda was definitely a shock for everyone that was still getting over all of the next-gen console news. Now that the surprise has worn off, speculation is turning to other subjects surrounding this shock union – namely, what is the future of its namesake properties?
We’re talking about Fallout and the possibility that Obsidian could be asked to make a sequel to its critically (and fan) acclaimed title New Vegas.
For those of you that have kept up with the gnarled twists and turns that is the history of the Fallout franchise, you will recall that Obsidian is basically the spiritual successor to the studio that birthed the series, Interplay. A legendary developer for the PC, Interplay’s games had a grit and life to them that others struggled to capture. In fact, much of this is baked into the original Fallout games on PC.
It’s that magic that people see in New Vegas.
Nonetheless, as these things go, Fallout’s twisted development history has led to more than a few strange rumors such as the reluctance of Bethesda to let Obsidian work on anything after New Vegas. It probably didn’t help things that anything Bethesda did was compared by fans to Obsidian’s work. Now that everyone is owned by Microsoft, all of those old feelings don’t seem to matter that much anymore.
And, as fans of New Vegas, we’re not going to pretend like it wasn’t without its own flaws. In some places, New Vegas was badly broken, similar to other Bethesda titles of the day. Still, many let it slide because the storytelling and roleplaying was just that awesome.
Like the old games, New Vegas had strange options that you could choose that would later unlock unique pathways. This not only encouraged replay later but also novelty and experimentation. Much of the spirit of New Vegas felt like an old school PC RPG and, seeing as how it was made by a team of masters of that genre, it’s not that shocking really that a sequel would be in high demand.
This could be an an easy way for Microsoft to make a splash with hardcore Fallout fans as well as secure a vaunted exclusive title. Exclusivity rarely drives purchases for us, but we’d have to take a minute if New Vegas 2 was coming out exclusively for Xbox’s next-gen system.
Again, since they’re all part of the same family now, what’s stopping it from happening?
What do you think of Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda? Are you a fan of the Fallout series? Would you like to see a sequel to Fallout: New Vegas done by Obsidian? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments section.
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