Fallout New Vegas 2 – What We Know and Hope For

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James Gibson

James Gibson is a contributor for Wasteland Gamers specializing in producing written content in the fast-moving, ever-evolving, gaming market. He is an avid RPG fan and loves the Fallout series more than most. He's saved Liam Neeson from Tranquility Lane, seen every ending within FNV and he's even braved the hot mess that is Fallout 76, and what's more, he didn't hate it. James has been writing content within the gaming sector for many years, alongside myriad scriptwriting and reviewer roles all whilst being fully immersed in said sector.

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Bottom Line Up Front

Fans of the Fallout series have long called for a sequel to the much-loved Fallout New Vegas. Rumors have circulated in the past but have come to no avail. However, industry insiders have recently spoken on the subject, stoking more legitimate claims that another Obsidian-led Fallout is in the works.

It is human nature to want more of it when we love anything, even though we know that it might not be what we expect it to be. This need for continuance and more content is what drives entire industries today, for better or worse. As gamers, we are no different, even though we pretend to be. That is why many people began calling out for a sequel as soon as they completed Fallout New Vegas.

Then, as additional content dropped more than a year post the initial release of the title, the workflow coming from Obsidian Entertainment seemed as though they weren’t going to leave the game in the dust for too long. 

However, this was more than ten years ago now, and we are still devoid of any new Mojave-based adventures, whether that is in the form of an entirely new game or additional DLC. Therefore, many avid fans of Obsidian’s first entry into the Fallout franchise began to lose hope over the many long years which followed the end of Bethesda and Obsidian’s partnership.

Each new release of the Fallout franchise, whether that be 4 or 76, feels like a dagger to the heart of all New Vegas fans out there, with the franchise seemingly moving on, forgetting about the diamond that sprung from nowhere on the 19th of October 2010. 

And, before anyone comments, no, we will not be counting the numerous money-grabbing attempts by Bethesda wherein they simply re-packaged the base game with the DLC content under a snappy bundle name such as ‘Game of the year Edition’ etc. as these are merely another matter entirely.

With all this being said, though, there have been recent stirrings amongst industry insiders regarding the development of a spiritual successor to Fallout New Vegas; whether this game would be called Fallout New Vegas 2 or not, we simply do not know yet.

Therefore, this article will take a look at these rumors and the possibilities they present, including the likelihood of a game coming to market and what said the game might look like. So, with this in mind, let’s get right into it!

The Rumor Mill Turns

As with any popular game from the past, every couple of years, a new rumor pops up on Reddit or some distant forum that an ‘industry insider’ has learned of the development of a newly launched team of developers concerned over a particular game.

This trend is not new and is not worth my or your precious time thinking over. However, this recent spike in activity relating to the possibility of a new Fallout New Vegas title is a bit more substantial than anything to come out previously. However, before we get into these rumors in detail, let’s set up some context!

The Context

As you know, Fallout New Vegas was not the child of Bethesda Softworks, the company which took ownership of the Fallout franchise from Interplay Entertainment during their myriad financial struggles in 2007 and went on to produce Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and the mess that is Fallout 76.

Instead, the most beloved entry into the Fallout universe came from a small sub-contractor studio named Obsidian Entertainment. Under license from Bethesda, this small studio managed to crank out one of the best RPG experiences I have ever played, under immense time pressure from the parent studio.

Therefore, if we are looking for a true sequel and spiritual successor to Fallout New Vegas, we don’t just want a title developed by Bethesda with New Vegas in the name; we are going to need the guys and gals over at Obsidian sitting at the helm. 

For years upon years, this was simply not going to happen. This was because of two main factors.

• First of all, Obsidian had begun to wither and show poor returns since the release of Fallout New Vegas and therefore hadn’t seemed strong enough as a studio to undertake such a project for many years.
• Secondly, after the release of Fallout New Vegas, a great rift opened up between the two studios. Obsidian has been promised a rather sizable bonus on top of their original fee from Bethesda should the title score above 85 on Metacritic. However, the title scored a sickening 84 points on the review site, which allowed Bethesda to refuse payment to the small studio that desperately needed the injection of funds.

These funds would have been a mere token of gratitude for such a goliath like Bethesda at the time. As you might imagine, though, no payment ever came, leading high-ranking members of Obsidian to lose faith with their former partner altogether, especially when times grew so tough shortly that staff had to be laid off. 

However, in the past couple of years, both of these issues seemed to resolve themselves, to the delight of all gaming fans around the globe. Obsidian had just developed and released a hit title in the form of The Outer Worlds, which sold a staggering 2.5 million copies, far and beyond Obsidian’s expectations.

Also, regarding the rift between the two companies, everything seems to have resolved itself there also. They now function underneath the same umbrella these days, working for the mammoth Microsoft corporation.

This comes after Obsidian was purchased by ZeniMax Media and was subsequently purchased by Microsoft in 2020. The tech giant quickly scooped up with Bethesda only a year later, finalizing their purchase in 2021. 

Now, with both studios under the same umbrella and working for the same overlord, the field has most likely been cleared of any past dealings and bad blood, most likely because anyone high enough in Microsoft to order the creation of another Fallout New Vegas title, will simply not care about the feelings of either studio, merely wanting the game completed. Leaving neither studio any real option but to proceed should the order come. 

In Brief:

• Obsidian and Bethesda fell out over the development cycle of Fallout New Vegas, thus preventing them from working together for years.
• The two studios have now both been acquired by Microsoft.
• It is likely that Fallout New Vegas 2 and any Bethesda I.P.s will be released exclusively for Xbox.

The Rumor

Now, as with anything we hear today in the age of the big bad internet, some filtering and consideration must be done before accepting said rumor as fact or something which deserves our attention. However, in this instance, I believe that this rumor has passed all of these checks this time. 

First of all, the rumor itself is that Fallout New Vegas 2 has begun development over at Obsidian Entertainment as of early 2022 when I write this article. Of course, we have heard stuff like this many times before; however, from nobody as credible as Tyler McVicker. But who is this, Tyler, you ask?

Well, Tyler is one of these people who has somehow made a career of being an ‘industry insider’ and therefore is considered one of the lucky few who get to be ‘in the know.’

He has rightly announced many things through this position, months before the studios responsible for the projects have made the information public. The most notable of these predictions have been the development of Half-Life Alyx.

Therefore, when someone with these credentials speaks on a possible new Obsidian-led Fallout title, you better believe I’ll be listening. 

On his podcast, in the middle of talking about the Fallout franchise and New Vegas, in particular, he stated that he had gotten word of a new Fallout New Vegas title being in development over at Obsidian. 

So, if we consider it to be true that the game is now in development, what can we expect for the future? What do we want to see as fans of the franchise as a whole, but more importantly, as fans of Fallout New Vegas? 

In Brief:

• Industry insider Tyler McVicker reported Fallout New Vegas 2’s development on his podcast in late 2021. This podcast can be found on his YouTube channel, which currently has over 360 thousand subscribers.
• Any rumors before this one have been subsequently found out to be baseless.
• Tyler McVicker also correctly reported the development of Half-Life Alyx.

New Vegas for a New Generation

Industry Considerations

We know relatively few things to be certain relating to this title and its future potential. However, some things are almost set in concrete at this point. The first of which is that the game would be almost certainly released as an Xbox exclusive; after all, Microsoft is not acquiring these titles and their developers out of the goodness of their heart.

No, no, far from it, they are just another big faceless corporation, after all, concerned entirely with lining their own pockets. Therefore, considering the massive success of the PS5 in comparison to the recent Xbox, it does not take a brain surgeon to realize that all of these acquisitions come at a time when Microsoft is looking to increase Xbox sales in the present and future.

I don’t know about you, but as a PS5 owner myself, I would gladly fork out the necessary dollars to get myself a new Xbox should a new Fallout game come out exclusively on that platform. Well, maybe gladly is an overstatement, but I would still do it, begrudgingly. 

We must also consider that both of the leading Bethesda franchises have tried to move into MMO space for quite some time now, whether you think of Elder Scrolls Online or Fallout 76, both of which have been relative failures. However, the revenue that such games can offer to their companies is simply second to none.

Therefore, I do not expect Bethesda and, therefore, Microsoft to give up on the massive paycheck that would certainly come from cementing themselves into the MMO scene; after all, Dota 2 is still one of the most profitable games in the world, and it is a free to play title.

Once again, though, this is mere speculation based on the state of the industry in 2022, and nothing is certain right now. Also, to assuage any of you from worrying too much about this title becoming some grotesque, MMO hybrid of its true self, Bethesda is releasing The Elder Scrolls 6 as a normal RPG, so there is hope. 

Possible Storylines

One of the main difficulties for any sequel to a Fallout title, especially one such as New Vegas, is that the player character is forced to make many decisions that would change the landscape of the Mojave differently for many years to come.

Therefore, any idea of a direct continuation of the New Vegas storyline after the events of the second battle for Hoover Dam is almost obsolete and too difficult to even consider.

Therefore, it is more likely that the developers will place any future New Vegas titles in the not-too-distant future or in the decades between Fallout 2 (2241) and New Vegas (2281). 

A Sequel

Should the developers choose to go with the sequel route, wherein the actions of the Courier have somehow been rendered inconsequential, I would bet my house on it that the developers would choose to center their new game on a faction already discussed or included in New Vegas.

First instincts would point towards the Brotherhood due to their rather marginal inclusion in New Vegas; however, due to their heavy influence in Fallout 4, I would speculate that much like New Vegas in the wake of Fallout 3, the developers will avoid this out of fear for sickening the player with Brotherhood content and thus turning the entire franchise into a BoS fan service entity.

With this being said then, I could see the developers moving the entire scope of the game back into California, where Fallout 1 and 2 took place, allowing dedicated fans of the universe to explore areas previously only experienced in a top-down R.T.S. format via the 10 pixels available to developers at the time.

Utilizing the lore already laid out for the developers in this area and bringing back the N.C.R. and their control in this region would also deal with many of the possible headaches which crop up when trying to fit in a new game within the vast lore already mapped out for the Fallout universe.

In simple terms, I can see a possible storyline for Fallout New Vegas 2 taking place in the Boneyard area of what used to be known as California, dealing with the N.C.R. and their control over the area in some shape or form. However, this is once again mere speculation based on the lore and timeline we have been left with.

A Prequel

The next option available to the developers is a prequel. However, I don’t think they would consider placing this game solely around something already known to the player.

Therefore, anything such as the first battle for Hoover Dam would seem too boring and already determined. However, many things mentioned in the game are left merely floating, leaving the player wanting to know more. 

One of the best examples I can think of regarding this is the Followers of the Apocalypse and how they managed to grow as an organization from the events of Fallout 1, all the way to where they are in Fallout New Vegas, wherein their little library headquarters has now reportedly been turned into a university, and their faction has grown enough to offer aid to people way out in the Mojave of all places.

Therefore, I would suggest that a possible place for the next player character to be inserted is within the Followers, wherein the player gets to live the events which brought this faction to the place it is in the Mojave, even possibly expanding on this lore in other parts of the wasteland such as north of the Boneyard. 

Of course, there is always the notion that a Fallout game can take place at any time in any location within the United States, adopting an entirely different set of rules and factions along the way, removing the player from almost everything they have learned previously to give them a unique experience. After all, we have heartily explored the west coast of the United States at this point via the events of Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas.

We have also explored a great deal of the area closer to the east coast in Fallout 3, 4, and 76. Therefore, with all of these titles and their locations in mind, I could see the developers placing their new game somewhere completely forgotten about in the Fallout lore, possibly somewhere in the middle of the country or the south.

This will allow the player to explore a completely new environment and allow the developers free reign in terms of content and idea creation for the new title. 

In Brief:

• Due to the Fallout canon, the next installment in Fallout New Vegas cannot be a continuance of New Vegas 1 due to the implications of the character’s actions affecting the world around them. 
• The west and east coast of America have been profoundly explored by the prior entries into the franchise. Therefore, it is possible that a new location altogether may be chosen, and however, this will almost definitely be within the U.S.

The Gameplay

Returning Elements

There is no reason for us to suspect that any of the core gameplay mechanics found across the Fallout franchise are going to change, especially those introduced with Fallout 3 and beyond.

The V.A.T.S. system, for example, can be expected to make a return to form in this title, with the function either freezing time altogether like it did in Fallout 3 and New Vegas or slowing it substantially like it did in Fallout 4.

Leaving the horror show that was the V.A.T.S. system in Fallout 76, which had to account for the real-time synchronization issue of an MMO. We can also expect the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system to make a return.

Not simply because it is a nice method to create one’s character, but because it is an identifiable backbone to any Fallout game, the removal of which would make players question whether or not they are playing a true Fallout game.

There is also no reason to suspect a change to some of the key formats of the game. Elements such as factions and the morality engine will most likely be in place of this next installment in the series. However, one could see a change in the number of N.P.C.s they find out in the wasteland.

The introduction of new and more powerful consoles allowed for vastly more intricately designed locations and density of asset creation. I mention only the power of the new consoles because some P.C.s have long been capable of such performance. However, the developers must design games in today’s market with the console gamer as the primary marker of performance.

The gunplay found in Fallout 4 and the base creation elements will most likely return to Fallout New Vegas 2 should the title be developed on the Creation Engine. 

The Game’s Engine

We can also expect this new game to be produced and played on the Creation Engine found and either loved or hated in Fallout 4 and 76. This is due to the mass amount of funding dedicated to the creation of this system and the overall aesthetic quality that it brings to the Fallout universe; an aesthetic Bethesda wishes to place as cannon within said universe. 

With this being said, however, it is also possible, if vaguely, that this new Fallout installment will be produced with Unreal Engine 5. There are two possible reasons for this.

• The first of which is that the new Unreal Engine is widely accepted as the most cutting-edge engine in the world of gaming today and is therefore going to be expected by most gamers on their next-generation consoles.
• Secondly, we must remember that Obsidian must head up this Fallout title. Therefore, they have not used the Creation Engine to produce a game before; however, their most recent popular release, The Outer Worlds, was released on Unreal Engine 4. With all this in mind, then, while unlikely, the next Fallout game may be released on Unreal Engine 5.  

Mods and Their Influence

It has long become a trend for developers to look at how the community has modded their games and used the inherent meritocracy, which places the best mods at the top of the pile, to determine what the community most deeply desires from their games. Therefore, it would be rude of me not to consider how some of the most popular mods for Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 4 would affect this new title. 

The key mod which I wish to discuss its effects on the developers of New Vegas 2 is the Frost mod for Fallout 4. This mod not only changes the entire world and setting of Fallout 4, but it also increases the survival element of the game, creating a gaming experience entirely different from Fallout 4.

In this vein, considering the popularity of the Frost mod, I can see the developers of New Vegas 2 considering their new title and the survival elements they include in it a bit more seriously.

For instance, in Fallout New Vegas, one only had to worry about ammo weight and the character’s physical needs such as food and water within Hardcore mode. Therefore, the popularity of the Frost mod might make New Vegas 2, and in particular, the Hardcore mode of this game, a lot more brutal and realistic, thus changing the title from a merry romp through the wasteland into a nail-biting survival horror experience wherein any misstep can lead to great loses. 

In Brief:

• New Vegas 2 will most likely be heavily influenced by popular mods for Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 4.
• The game’s engine will most likely be The Creation Engine; however, it could be Unreal Engine 5.
• Elements such as V.A.T.S. and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. will almost certainly return in this title. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, a complete and up-to-date guide to all that we currently know about a possible sequel to Fallout New Vegas. Hopefully, this article will boost your hopes of a new game coming out.

By increasing your need for this title, we will manifest this game into being and allow me to take full credit for getting this game made. Thus, with the hopefully massive pressure, this article places on Bethesda to produce New Vegas 2, I leave you.

I hope this article leaves you excited for the future, and possibly, when the game does release, you will return to this article to see how correct I was, or more likely, how wrong I was.