A new Fallout game is now in the works at Obsidian Entertainment, according to a report.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported today that the studio, which was recently hit by a wave of layoffs along with several other studios as part of Xbox’s “reset,” also canceled a new Avowed sequel in the works.
Microsoft cut as many as 52 jobs at Obsidian this week, according to reports, as part of this “reset” that will end with over 3,200 people working for Xbox’s various departments looking for jobs over the next year or so as the restructuring continues.
Fallout has been vastly underutilized by Bethesda and Microsoft, so this is welcome news for fans of the franchise. Other than MMO Fallout 76 in 2018, Fallout 4 launched nearly 11 years ago in 2015, and there’s been little done to truly capitalize on the franchise’s Prime Video TV show of the same name over the past few years. Obsidian is familiar with the post-apocalyptic series, having created 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas. That game’s director, Josh Sawyer, is reportedly leading the new project, too.
As for Avowed, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier says that a sequel was well into development and things were “going well,” with the game “on track to be announced within the next year.” A source “familiar with the game’s development” also said that “some Obsidian employees will continue working on the Avowed sequel as they wait for new projects such as Fallout to be ready, perhaps in hope of one day reviving the game.”
This does seem like a no-brainer to me. Established IP like Fallout will always be readily more marketable to the gaming public over a new franchise like Avowed. It’s obviously very unfortunate that dozens of people had to lose their jobs for a change in strategy to take place, but the hope now is that the studio (and others hit by layoffs) can move forward successfully with a proper plan in place.
The post Obsidian Entertainment, leveled by Xbox layoffs, reportedly begins work on new Fallout game appeared first on Destructoid.
