In 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 emerged as the Game of the Year despite stiff competition from titles like Alan Wake and Zelda. Recently, there has been a buzz among fans about the possibility of developer Larian Studios creating a new Fallout game.
This speculation stems from a comment by Larian’s CEO Swen Vincke, who mentioned that before working on Baldur’s Gate, the company considered working on major franchises like Ultima and Fallout to achieve triple-A production values and broader recognition.
Vincke’s remarks were about considerations made many years ago, around the time Larian started developing Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2016. This period was after the release of Fallout 4 in 2015 and before Fallout 76 in 2018, which initially faced a troubled launch but has since developed a strong community.
Despite these past reflections, fans are excited by the mere idea of Larian taking on the Fallout series, especially given the long wait expected for Fallout 5 due to Bethesda’s current focus on Starfield and the upcoming Elder Scrolls VI.
Fans are particularly keen on seeing a new Fallout game sooner rather than later, ideally created by another studio much like Obsidian did with Fallout: New Vegas. Considering that Fallout is now owned by Microsoft, there’s speculation about whether Microsoft could enlist Larian, or another studio under its umbrella, to develop a Fallout title more swiftly than Bethesda’s current timeline allows.
Despite the enthusiasm, the practicalities of Larian taking on a Fallout project are challenging. Larian has already moved on to new RPG projects post-Baldur’s Gate 3 and considering the extensive time it took them to develop Baldur’s Gate 3, starting a Fallout game now would likely not see a release until around the same time Bethesda might launch Fallout 5.
Even if Microsoft heavily invested in Larian or acquired them, the development timeline for a full-fledged Fallout game would be lengthy.
A potential solution could be a smaller-scale Fallout game, akin to Fallout: New Vegas, developed by Larian. However, given the current commitments and logistical hurdles, this scenario seems unlikely. The desire for a new, well-crafted Fallout game by a studio like Larian remains strong among fans, but the feasibility of such a project coming to fruition soon is doubtful.