"We don't want to wait that long either" - As we all crave fresh Fallout, Todd Howard says Bethesda's looking to find ways to up its output
Wahey, it sounds like there's at least a chance we all might get to play a new Fallout game in less than a decade or so.
Have you been left a bit bummed out that, after having your appetite for the series renewed by Amazon's Fallout TV show, the most recent Fallout games on offer are Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, both of which are getting fairly long in the tooth, even if they are still getting fresh updates? Well, here's what could be a bit of good news - Todd Howard says Bethesda's looking into upping its output, if it can do so in a manner it's a fan of.
Yup, while we have had Fallout 4's rather, er, troubled next-gen update to dig into, and Appalachia to rediscover, the show's highlighted the need for more regular entries. Especially given that The Elder Scrolls 6 is next up on the docket and still seems years away at this point.
Speaking to Kinda Funny Games for an interview that also saw him confirm when Starfield's first expansion will be dropping, Todd Howard also touched on where the studio's at in terms of making new things.
"They do take a long time, and so I think one of the things we’re focused on here is obviously making sure they’re of the highest quality, but also finding ways to increase our output," Howard said, "because we don’t want to wait that long either, right? It’s never our plan, but we want to make sure we get it right."
Asked about potentially doing more collaborations or spin-offs, a la Fallout New Vegas, Howard replied: "I would say we’ve always had those conversations". Emphasising that the studio's alwways looking into doing things with Fallout - such as the content drops 76 got alongside the show - he added: "if I could snap my fingers and have them all be out and ready, I would, but the main thing is how do we deliver these at a high quality level."
The developer also confirmed that he's currently got no plans to retire - which we've got to assume would involve starting the world's most Skyrim-obssessed retirement home chess club. So, there's seemingly no need to worry about him ducking out and never coming back, a bit like your dad did, only this time it'd be worse because it might involve you not getting to play a version of Fallout 5 made by your favourite small video games man.
While Bethesda's commitment to quality is admirable, it might want to try and avoid repeating what's happened with Fallout 4's next-gen update, especially on PC, where mods that get rid of it have gotten quite popular.