Bethesda have been completely quiet on “Fallout 4”, despite fans constantly nagging them for any information – even just a simple confirmation that the game is happening. In a recent fiasco, someone set up a fake website that looked like it was hinting at an upcoming release for the game, and Bethesda were eventually forced to step in and deny the rumors when the hype was getting out of control. Lately though, industry experts have shifted their questions in another direction – instead of asking when the game is going to be announced, many have now been questioning whether this is happening at all.
And there are actually valid reasons to wonder about this. It wouldn’t actually be that out of the ordinary for Bethesda to decide to completely skip the title and focus on “The Elder Scrolls”. “Fallout” has seen a good run throughout its lifetime, but a new installment might be too much of a risk for the studio at this point.
Both “Fallout 3” and “New Vegas” saw really good reviews, and both fans and critics expressed that they were left asking for more after the last installment. However, rumors indicate that while Bethesda were initially considering the new game, their plans turned out far too ambitious, forcing them to go back to the drawing board, and even before it – deciding whether or not they want to release “Fallout 4” at all.
Bethesda are known for having a certain perpetual issue with their games – they always come out buggy and not quite polished, and they always need a few updates and sometimes even user-made mods in order to bring them up to a proper state. After that though, they inevitably flourish into the hits that we know them as today.
But nowadays, the market has changed, and it might not be that easy for Bethesda to make another unpolished release, especially in the “Fallout” series. The recent release of “Assassin’s Creed: Unity” seemed to be the breaking point for most gamers’ patience, as pretty much everyone was fed up of buying unfinished games that have been rushed out the door to meet deadlines. And while Bethesda don’t actually rush their releases – their problem is that their games are simply too massive to ever test properly – as well-intended as they may be, gamers likely won’t be that forgiving if “Fallout 4” comes out in a broken state.
At this point, it’s up to Bethesda to “pull the trigger” and announce if the series is actually moving forward or not – but according to many people who are keeping a close eye on the industry, fans of the franchise may want to start adjusting to the idea that “New Vegas” was the end of the series.