At the center of a heated debate within the gaming community is the supposed rivalry between Fallout developers Bethesda Game Studios and Obsidian Entertainment.
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The notion of animosity between the two studios stems from the idea that Bethesda resents Obsidian for creating the highly acclaimed Fallout: New Vegas, a game that many consider to be the best in the series.
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However, Todd Howard, the director of Bethesda Game Studios, has consistently dismissed this notion, even going so far as to express admiration for Obsidian’s work in the past.
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In a 2019 interview with IGN, Howard praised Obsidian, stating that Bethesda ‘always had a great relationship with them’ and that working with the developers on New Vegas was ‘awesome.’
Fast forward to 2026, and Howard has reiterated his sentiments, telling Windows Central that Bethesda is ‘super excited’ to be collaborating with Obsidian on a new Fallout game.
‘I appreciate some of the fan chatter, but behind the scenes, there’s a huge amount of mutual respect [between Bethesda and Obsidian],’ Howard said.
‘We’re always kind of wondering if we could find a way to work together in the right way. And when those things come up, I think I definitely look at the franchise all up, as you see in the note, everything that’s kind of happening with Fallout.’
Howard’s mention of ‘the note’ refers to a recent roadmap update from Bethesda, which confirms that Fallout 5 has entered pre-production and that remasters for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are in the works.
The update also sheds light on the status of Obsidian’s new Fallout game, although the exact nature of the project remains unclear.
Obsidian, which was impacted by the recent Xbox layoffs, reportedly canceled Avowed 2 as part of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s focus on the company’s biggest franchises.
Howard acknowledged the challenges faced by Obsidian, stating that ‘Fallout is one of our biggest priorities today’ and that the studio is ‘super excited’ to be working with Obsidian on a new Fallout game.
‘We’d like to congratulate Kilter Films and Amazon Studios on the 10 Emmy nominations for Fallout Season 2,’ Howard added. ‘Production on Season 3 is already underway.’
Bethesda’s roadmap update also reveals plans for a major Fallout 76 expansion, titled Raven Rock, which will serve as a prequel to Fallout 3.
The update also mentions that Fallout Shelter continues to be the most popular way to experience Fallout on the go, with over 250 million players.
With the gaming community eagerly awaiting news on the new Fallout game, one thing is clear: the relationship between Bethesda and Obsidian is stronger than ever.
