TheFalloutfranchise is in a bit of a weird place right now. On the one hand, the recentFalloutTV show was a massive success for both Bethesda Game Studios and Amazon, andFallout 76is still popular to this day, despite its infamously bad launch. On the other hand, though, no newFalloutgame has been released in more than half a decade, and there is almost nothing on the horizon for fans to look forward to. There is a second season of theFalloutshow in the works, yes, but when it comes to games, the future of the franchise for the next few years is a complete mystery.
With how popular theFalloutIP is these days, it seems strange that Bethesda’s parent company, Microsoft, has done little to capitalize on it. For years, fans have asked for remasters or remakes of classic entries in the franchise, likeFallout 3orFallout: 2, but outside of some leaked (and potentially outdated) documents, there has been nothing formally announced on this front. The same can be said forthe long-awaitedFallout: New Vegas 2, which has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, but hasn’t come to fruition just yet. The only game that has been officially announced by Bethesda so far isFallout 5, the next mainline installment in the series. This particular game is still ages away from being released, but at the very least, it may be a graphical powerhouse when it eventually comes out.
Fallout 5 Could Have Far Better Graphics than Previous Bethesda Games
Bethesda Games Aren’t Known for Having Great Graphics, But That Wasn’t Always the Case
In recent times, Bethesda games haven’t exactly been known for having outstanding graphics. While its titles have often had impressive art design and distinct visuals, they haven’t been industry leaders from a technical point of view. The Maryland-based studio’s most recent game,Starfield, waswidely criticized for its graphics and facial animations, in particular. The space-faring RPG certainly looked a lot more realistic than most of Bethesda’s previous works, such asFallout 4andThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but it paled in comparison to other contemporary games in the same genre, includingCyberpunk 2077andBaldur’s Gate 3.
Some of Bethesda’s early titles, however, were considered visually impressive for their time.The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionbecame the benchmark for open world graphics when it was released on Xbox 360 and PC in 2006. Likewise,The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind’s visuals were considered advanced by some back in the early 2000s. In the present era,OblivionandMorrowindlook really outdated by modern standards, even compared toSkyrim,Fallout 4, and the like. Nonetheless, sincethe graphics of Bethesda gameswere once considered cutting-edge, it’s clear that the company does have the capability to push technical boundaries. Hopefully, it can embrace this approach again withFallout 5.
Fallout 5’s Distant Launch Could Allow It to Take Advantage of Future Graphical Advancements
The existence ofFallout 5was first acknowledged by Bethesda Game Studios head Todd Howardduring an interview with IGN in June 2022. At the time, he stated that the team at BGS would get to work onFallout 5after finishing development ofThe Elder Scrolls 6. There was one big problem with the roadmap that Howard outlined, however:The Elder Scrolls 6was still years away from being released. The next numbered entry in theElder Scrollsfranchise has only recently entered production, and likely won’t come out until the late 2020s or early 2030s. Because of this,Fallout 5will probably not launch until the mid-2030s at the earliest.
By the time the 2030s roll around, Bethesda games may have far more realistic graphics than they currently do.Fallout 5, for example, could end up having more detailed facial animations, environments, and NPCs thanks to the advent of new graphics technologies. It may even include immersive new features, like visible weapon degradation, improved water physics, injuries reflecting on player characters, real-time weather systems, and much more. Ultimately, a major increase in graphical fidelity could makethe 10-year wait forFallout 5a little more understandable, at least for fans that want a hyper-realisticFalloutgame.
Fallout
Fallout is a franchise built around a series of RPGs set in a post-nuclear world, in which great vaults have been built to shelter parts of humankind. There are six main games, various spin-offs, tabletop games, and a TV series from Amazon Studios.
