One Thing About Fallout: New Vegas Proves It Will Never Get Remade

With the second season of the Fallout TV show paying homage to Fallout: New Vegas in a variety of ways, fans would think that the renewed attention on the wasteland of the Mojave might signal a return to the fan-favorite location. However, the fundamental differences between Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout games and titles like New Vegas are vast, perhaps hindering any attempt to recreate Obsidian Entertainment’s excellent spin-off. This comes down to a variety of factors, including the current direction of the post-apocalyptic franchise.

Bethesda has been in control of the Fallout series since 2007, producing hits like Fallout 3 and 4 that captured the hearts of many fans. New Vegas was one of the few games Bethesda didn’t develop, instead giving Obsidian the reins to create an RPG with a slightly smaller scale than a mainline title. However, Obsidian’s rich narrative and world building elevated the series in many regards, creating perhaps the most compelling Fallout game since the original ARPGs released before Bethesda’s first-person open world endeavors.

Fallout: New Vegas Is Too Different From Bethesda’s Fallout Series To Be Brought Back

The tone between Fallout: New Vegas and Bethesda’s Fallout games are incredibly different, especially when it comes to the gameplay between both. Fans have often cited how New Vegas focuses more on the game’s RPG elements, with choices having more of an impact based on your character’s build and stats. On the other hand, Bethesda’s Fallout is more of a traditional open world RPG within the game studio’s style, which emphasizes exploration and gaining a strong power fantasy as you play.

These approaches could lead to an interesting remaster of New Vegas, but lowers any chance of Bethesda committing to a full remake. Bethesda’s style of Fallout game has less concern for branching narratives like New Vegas, instead opting to produce a linear story in exchange for a larger world. Players have a bigger landscape to explore in a Bethesda sandbox, while Obsidian’s smaller world gives you far more freedom in your actions.

Read Next

Why New Vegas Is One of the Best and Most Popular Fallout Games

Furthermore, Bethesda’s Fallout games tend to be much lighter and colorful compared to the oldest entries in the series. The dark humor and satire of Bethesda’s games are bombastic, but New Vegas keeps many moments of somber melancholy reflective of the disastrous landscape of the nuclear wasteland. Above all else, this core split in philosophies makes it hard for Bethesda to ever remake Obsidian’s splinter project, as their direction for the series discards much of what solidified New Vegas as special in the first place.

Former Fallout Developer States That Bethesda Can’t Connect To The Series’ Roots

Recent posts from Chris Avellone on his X Account shed more light on a shared opinion many fans have toward Bethesda’s Fallout direction. Chris Avellone was a designer for Fallout 2, the last game in the series before Bethesda took over and changed the top-down ARPGs into the open world FPS titles they are known for today. Avellone has also worked on a variety of other games with incredibly strong narrative design, including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and even Fallout: New Vegas.

Avellone states that “I don’t think Bethesda hates Fallout, they just don’t fully understand its roots,” later saying “they just want to do their spin on Fallout and make that the norm.” This summarizes a lot of fan opinions on why they prefer New Vegas, as it seems to carry more of the RPG legacy of the original two Fallout games compared to what Bethesda has made. While Avellone also claims that Bethesda’s approach “translates into a colorful, shallow theme park,” he also says that this “there are things [Bethesda] do well (open world exploration).”

Read Next

Fallout Report Suggests Multiple Projects Are in the Works

This series of quotes highlights the pros and cons to Bethesda’s Fallout games, including why they would be so hesitant to bring back New Vegas in any way. Any type of remaster, remake, or reconstruction of New Vegas‘ classic approach to the series drastically contradicts the path Bethesda has built up over many years. It seems like Bethesda is more willing to reference New Vegas through cameos and Easter Eggs, or through the TV show rather than fully embrace it as something that goes in line with their vision.

Any future Fallout projects from Bethesda will likely continue to reinforce their interpretation of the series, from the narrative direction down to the design of gameplay experiences. As such, Fallout: New Vegas will likely remain in the past as a fun alternative that co-exists with Bethesda’s games, and one fans of the original ARPGs can go back and enjoy even if a remake is doubtful.

Do you think Bethesda’s direction for Fallout will prevent any sort of New Vegas remake? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!