Obsidian Entertainment is a development studio that has deservedly curated a passionate fan base over the years, since it's been directly involved in and responsible for some extremely popular and successful video games. One of the most popular titles to come from the company is 2010's Fallout New Vegas, which is considered by many to be one of the best installments of the Bethesda-led RPG franchise.
Predictably, this has led to many calling for Obsidian Entertainment to develop another title for the Fallout franchise, but while this would undoubtedly be an attractive prospect, it may not be a realistic one. Obsidian has expanded its scope of development rather significantly in recent years, with high-profile projects such as Avowed, Grounded, and The Outer Worlds 2 surely taking too many resources away from a potential new Obsidian installment of Fallout.
Obsidian Entertainment and Fallout New Vegas
Obsidian Entertainment spearheaded the development of Fallout New Vegas, which remains an ambitious but decidedly successful spin-off title of Fallout. By being set away from Bethesda's latest entry in the franchise and by bringing in a passionate new perspective in Obsidian Entertainment, New Vegas is revered for its unique spin on the Fallout formula, bringing the IP's motifs to an eccentric Western setting.
After receiving fairly positive reviews upon its immediate release, New Vegas has received something of a mass cultural reappraisal over time, with the title now being looked back upon with extreme fondness and respect. Within a modern context, Fallout New Vegas is known for its dedicated cult following; huge swathes of fans still voice their desire for a potential Fallout New Vegas 2. However, with the amount of projects that currently fall under the Obsidian name, another Fallout project from the company may be quite far from the realm of possibility.
Obsidian Entertainment's Current Projects
Despite the long presence and good standing of Obsidian Entertainment in the video game industry, it can be said that the company is currently busier than it's ever been, thanks to a number of high-profile projects. Obsidian just released the highly stylized adventure game Pentiment, and there are many other Obsidian-led projects that are either in the works or currently require an extensive amount of post-launch attention.
For example, Grounded released in September 2022. Even after a long early access period, the survival action game with a multiplayer focus will likely require extensive amounts of post-launch care and content updates to keep players engaged. The upcoming projects for Obsidian sound equally ambitious; the highly anticipated Avowed is rumored to release within the next few years. While not a lot is currently known about the title, it is set to be a fantasy RPG akin to The Elder Scrolls franchise taking place in Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity universe, which sounds like it could result in a pretty elaborate game.
In addition to this, The Outer Worlds 2 is another upcoming project with a lot of eyes on it. Given the success of 2019's The Outer Worlds, one can reasonably assume that Obsidian plans to build upon the gameplay experience of the space-faring action RPG in the upcoming sequel, which again will draw significant resources within Obsidian away from any other potential projects. While the fan desire for another Obsidian-led foray into the Fallout franchise akin to New Vegas is undoubtedly present, it remains clear that the sheer amount of projects currently on the plate of Obsidian Entertainment makes it fairly unrealistic that another Fallout release will happen in the foreseeable future.