Fallout 5 is in development, but the developer remains a mystery

Fallout 5 is officially in development but years away, with no confirmed lead studio yet; a Fallout 3 remaster may arrive sooner.

Some good news for the Fallout fans: Fallout 5 has reportedly been officially greenlit and is currently in active development. The report came from Jez Corden, who discussed the franchise’s direction in a recent episode of the popular Xbox Two podcast. While we know that the game is currently in development, there is still no clarity about who is officially taking charge of the long-awaited title.

Fallout 5 is finally greenlit, but the wait continues. (Steam)

By Amit Rahi

For the past seven years, I have tracked consumer tech through constant shifts in hardware, platforms, and the way people actually use devices. Covering everything from budget gear to flagship hardware, I focus on what readers need to know, not on buzzwords or launch cycle hype. My expertise spans gaming laptops and chairs, high-performance PCs, gaming monitors, printers, smartwatches, earphones, headphones, Bluetooth speakers, tablets, and more, with a particular emphasis on how these products hold up in daily use. Reviews, explainers, buying guides, and news pieces all share the same goal: giving readers enough detail to make confident decisions without wading through fluff. Away from deadlines, I spend a lot of time gaming and watching films and anime, which naturally filters back into the work. Performance, comfort, display quality, and sound are judged the way players and viewers experience them, not just by lab numbers, which keeps my coverage grounded in real scenarios rather than just benchmarks.

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Corden, executive editor at Windows Central, revealed that while development has indeed begun, it's still unclear who is leading the project. Bethesda Game Studios, which developed the last several Fallout games, is reportedly focusing on the upcoming Starfield DLC and the forthcoming The Elder Scrolls VI, leaving Fallout 5 effectively in limbo for now.

The decision to move forward with the next iteration of the Fallout game came at a significant cost. According to Corden, Microsoft cancelled ZeniMax Online’s next MMO project, codenamed “Blackbird”, as part of recent layoffs affecting the company. The company considered shifting the resources to create another Fallout, an original, highly successful, and established series, rather than launching a new MMO game facing massive competition like World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls Online.

While we have received confirmation of a new game in the Fallout series, the actual release is still likely to be several years away. Bethesda’s head, Todd Howard, has commented that a game as massive and complex as Fallout requires at least five years to develop properly. Given that Bethesda is currently busy with Elder Scrolls VI development, the earliest likely launch for the new Fallout game is around 2030.

In the meantime, there are reports that a Fallout 3 remaster is in the works, which may arrive much sooner. Thanks to the recent international success of Amazon’s Fallout TV series in 2024, the Fallout series has gained significantly greater popularity than ever before. For now, Fallout fans can be assured that a new game in the award-winning Fallout franchise is indeed in the works, even if the studio or the release date remains uncertain.