quality are heavily depend on microsoft

the more they interfere the less likely obsidian perform well

I think if I was Obsidian, my umbrella fear would be that this changing of things around by MS is their hail mary.

eg, they (mostly, kind of) survived this round of MS cuts/restructuring etc, but if this new Fallout game they're being told to make (while canceling the others on top) doesn't hit big, Obs is gone (from MS anyway).

I'm not sure if a new Obs-Fallout is going to be the actual marketing/sales success win-button re: the numbers that MS probably envisions/wants. I mean, I'd assume MS wants better than Avowed or Grounded sales and sees this path as the potential avenue for it. As others said, much probably also hinges on how much MS dictate/interfere with an Obs-vision. More big studio slop feeling or more old-school Obs-unique take etc.

FNV is extremely popular. I'd say Obsidian just have to copy that, but in new, and it can't really go wrong. Real question is, will they build the whole game from scratch, or will they use the Fo4 engine and assets in a similar way as they used Fo3 for FNV.

Personally I would prefer if they use Bethsofts engine at least. I swear, the moddability is the reason why their games are still popular, and it's why neither Avowed, nor Outer Worlds had any big long–term buzz going. Allow people to do big changes to your game in a more or less easy way and they will look past certain flaws in it. If the game is fun to play / will capture the audience AND is easy to make mods for, you win.

3 minutes ago, Lexx said:

FNV is extremely popular. I'd say Obsidian just have to copy that, but in new, and it can't really go wrong. Real question is, will they build the whole game from scratch, or will they use the Fo4 engine and assets in a similar way as they used Fo3 for FNV.

Personally I would prefer if they use Bethsofts engine at least. I swear, the moddability is the reason why their games are still popular, and it's why neither Avowed, nor Outer Worlds had any big long–term buzz going. Allow people to do big changes to your game in a more or less easy way and they will look past certain flaws in it. If the game is fun to play / will capture the audience AND is easy to make mods for, you win.

bethesda engine are terrible

please no more of that garbage

Is the right to use the IP the same as the right to use the engine (Beth's). Dunno how they worked it out. I don't know how much MS is/feels re: mega-user access re: modding. Especially MS-Store. I picture it being fairly limited plus maybe Steam workshop integration. Maybe they'll go for it tho.

As to FNV popularity - well, yes, but that was the Obsidian from 15+ years ago and pre-MS. I'm sure some faith re: Obsidian remains (or at least the hope) but at this point the "it's not the same Obsidian" negativity outlook is also fairly widespread. Could end up a neutral wash re: any hype or early sales.

We don't even know if the game is intended to be Fallout 5 as such, and I suspect much of the outcome is dependent on whether it is, or whether it's a spinoff. In the former case, I assume it could only be the Creation engine because that's what people expect from a "Bethesda" game. In the latter case, all bets are off, Obsidian could even point to BG3's success and argue to make a game in that style.

15 hours ago, uuuhhii said:

bethesda engine are terrible

please no more of that garbage

The engine is incredibly easy to use and very powerful. Just because Bethsoft can't make good games, doesn't mean the engine is garbage.

If the next Fallout game runs on Unreal Engine, it will be forgotten a few months after release.

A new Fallout in the style of BG3 also crossed my mind, but IMO this is extremely unlikely. I also doubt they are given 5 years to develop the game. If it's going to be anything like in the past, we're probably seeing something in 2 years, max.

Edited 21 hours ago21 hr by Lexx

Obsidian was trying something new. Sawyer personally was working on a new game that was supposedly very similar to F:NV but not in the Fallout franchise. That tells me they were loooking to create a third new IP, this time in the post-apocalypse genre to go along with their fantasy and sci-fi IPs. But Xbox came along and ordered that project terminated and switched Sawyer to working on a new Fallout game. My guess would be Obsidian will try to use as much as they can from what they developed for the cancelled project in the new Fallout project, especially given the massive staff cuts. And in the end, this new game won't cut it sales-wise either, because both Fallout franchise fans and post-apocalypse genre fans who want something new/not Fallout will end up feeling disappointed by yet another 'let's try to please everyone' game, which is clearly what Xbox is now demanding from Obsidian.

I think the writing is already on the wall. Even if Obsidian is successful in making and pushing out the door this new Fallout game, what comes after that? Yet another Fallout game? If the Pillers and TOW and Pentiment IPs are dead, and no new IPs are allowed to be created, and with Grounded largely spun-off to outside development, what's left for Obsidian to work on?

I predict that a few years from now, Obsidian will either return to being a struggling indie studio (that may not even get to keep their Pillers and TOW IPs), or be dead, killed off by Xbox. Either way, it will SUCK for us.

Can't wait to see recycled Starfield assets in a Fallout game.

21 hours ago, Wormerine said:

yeah, coming back to Van Buren style Fallout could be cool, or… anything really. I am not sure if creativity is something current XBOX leadership puts much faith in.

Yeah. I mean, given the few recent years and the current situation (layoffs and all), now would be the time for Obsidian to give it all they’ve got. Not just do what the Fallout 4 modders (and other Bethesda game modders) are also doing, and try to outBehesda Bethesda for its own fanbase and with their own tools. That wouldn’t even make sense anymore unless they go at with the sort of ”hope it’ll bring a few bucks - I’d love to see what the modders come up with after release” mindset.

That rant meaning, that Obsidian should do what they do best, and leave other companies work to their own faculties. Obsidian’s talents aren’t in the shooter industry, this should be obvious by now. They should do something else. And Fallout New vegas fans aren’t actually looking forward to FNV2: The another open world FPS. They are looking forward to a world they can immerse themselves with like they did with FNV. They do not care about the gameplay as much as Bethesda fans; that is partially the reason why TOW or Awoved did not sell. That audience cares about gameplay only, if it affects their worldbuilding. And you can not have good, wolrd/storyaffecting gameplay in Bethesda-kind-of-world without it being ****, ****, ****.

Gameplay, that’s where their balls should be right now. They koe the woldbuilding, but thei aren’t a gameplay designer.

Activision have gone nuts.