Summary
Despite hopes ofFallout 5being one of Bethesda’s next projects, two of the studio’s recent major releases,Fallout 76andStarfield, are worrisome when it comes to the next chapter in theFalloutfranchise. AlthoughFallout 5is many years away from becoming reality, the lukewarm response to bothFallout 76andStarfieldat launch should inspire Bethesda to go back to the drawing board when approaching its next project.
If Bethesda must learn anything fromFallout 76andStarfield’s reception, it’s thatFallout 5should be handled with extra care. As a beloved RPG franchise, theFalloutseries has become one of the most notable in modern gaming, but the next entry in the series will be a make-or-break moment for Bethesda.
Fallout 5 Now Has Higher Expectations Than Ever
The past few years haven’t exactly gone how Bethesda expected. With the evolution of gaming moving faster than ever,Bethesda’s aging Creation Engineand overall approach to its games is quickly starting to feel outdated.Fallout 5could be the right time for Bethesda to move on from its formula in favor of a fresh start. AlthoughStarfieldwas one of the most anticipated games of 2023, many players were quick to note how outdated and barren the game felt, andFallout 5can’t afford to feel the same.
Fallout 76’s Rough Start
Since its original release back in 2018,Fallout 76has arguably redeemed itselfin the long run. This year, the game reached record player numbers, but that came after a rough period when the game first launched. Metacritic scores for the game were widely mixed, and some reviews even accused the game of being unfinished. The game has improved a lot since then, but six years is still a long time for a game to finally find its stride. It would have been much better for the franchise ifFallout 76launched in the state it is now.
Starfield’s Lonely World
One of the main complaints from players whenStarfieldlaunched was similar to some of the criticism ofFallout 76. The overall world ofStarfieldultimately feels lifeless. There have even beenStarfieldmods made by playersthat make cities feel more lifelike. Although fan-made mods are a long-running tradition for Bethesda fans, the environments inStarfieldjust aren’t up to par when compared to other open world titles.Red Dead Redemption 2is the same age asFallout 76and still has some of the most realistic NPCs and environments in gaming.
Fallout 5 Has To Feel More Alive
IfFallout 5is ever announced, Bethesda would greatly benefit from a change in course. There are definitelygood features fromFallout 76thatFallout 5can emulate, but the next installment can’t afford to have the same type of launch asFallout 76andStarfield. With other studio’s engines quickly becoming more advanced and better suited for world building, Bethesda should consider retiring its Creation Engine for the sake of theFalloutfranchise’s future.
SkyrimandFallout 4may still be popular games that were great successes for Bethesda, but they are still very much a product of their times. Back in 2011, Skyrim was groundbreaking, but the landscape of gaming has changed drastically since then, andFallout 76andStarfieldhaven’t exactly proven that Bethesda is keeping up with the pace. If Bethesda wants to redeem itself with the players who were left disappointed by its previous releases, the studio may want to look toFallout 5as a new beginningfor the franchise and its future projects.
Fallout 76
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
