Bethesda Softworks head Todd Howard knows fans are looking forward to Fallout 5, especially in the wake of the Prime Video show’s success, but he isn’t interested in rushing it out the door.
Howard opened up about the future of the hit post-apocalyptic RPG series during an interview with YouTube content creator MrMattyPlays. He says Bethesda spends a lot of time plotting out how to handle the direction of its franchises.
“For other Fallout games in the future, you know, obviously I can’t talk about those right now, but I would say, sort of rushing through them, or we kind of need to get stuff out that is different than the work we’re doing in 76…we don’t feel like we need to rush any of that,” he said. “The Fallout TV show fills a certain niche in terms of the franchise and storytelling.”
The last mainline Fallout game was Fallout 4, which released in 2015. DLC content for the entry was steadily released for PC and consoles over the next year, and in 2018, Bethesda launched its multiplayer-centered offshoot, Fallout 76. While fans slowly flocked to the West Virigina-set open-world RPG, it wasn’t until the premiere of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show that the Bethesda series reached a new level of attention.
Still, Howard won’t budge when it comes to desires for a substantial video game release. For him, it comes to down to wanting to treating its franchises with care.
“Totally get the desire for a new kind of mainline single-player game,” he added. “And look, those things take time. I don’t think it’s bad for people to miss things. We just want to get it right and make sure that everything we’re doing in a franchise, whether it’s Elder Scrolls, Fallout, or now Starfield, that those become meaningful moments for everybody who loved these franchises as much as we do.”
Howard spoke to IGN about Fallout 5 earlier this year. He admitted that Bethesda is focused on The Elder Scrolls 6 for now and is still committed to updating Starfield but added, “that doesn’t mean that we’re not making plans for other things.”
Elsewhere in his conversation with MrMattyPlays, Howard touched on the negative response Bethesda has received when it comes to paid mods in Starfield. He also touched on how the studio will continue to build on its recent space RPG with more story expansions. While we wait for more Fallout, you can check out the latest update on Fallout Season 2. For everything else we know about Fallout 5, you can click here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.