Fallout 4 voice actor Ryan Alosio lets slip on Instagram that pre-production on Fallout 5 has already begun, stating that "internally there is movement" on the Fallout sequel.

Fallout 4 has proved to be one of the biggest gaming releases in recent years. The post-apocalyptic RPG was a critical darling upon release, earning mountains of positive reviews alongside several high-profile award nominations and even Game of the Year victories. It seems as though Bethesda is not resting on its laurels, however, as rumors have begun to surface that suggest Fallout 5 is already in pre-production.

Although the news does not stem from an official source, the notion that work has already begun on Fallout 5 comes from someone very close to the series. Ryan Alosio, the voice actor for Deacon in Fallout 4, has been a vocal account holder on image sharing social media site Instagram. Allegedly, in a conversation with fan page fallout_temple, Alosio let slip that something was afoot behind the scenes at Bethesda. Within his reply to the account, the voice actor mentioned that pre-production for the next game in the series was already underway.

"Internally there is movement gearing up for the pre-production of Fallout 5 ….(shhh), obviously I can’t get into any details at all right now but it will be a very interesting journey moving forward."

Although Alosio soon realized his mistake, removing the post and replacing it with a reply that made no mention to the sequel's existence, very little is forgotten on the internet. Within the minutes it took to take the post down, it had already been screencapped by sites such as FragHero, providing what some see as proof that the next Fallout game is already on the cards.

It's not the first time that the Fallout series has had potential confirmation of a sequel revealed via a voice actor. Erik Todd Dellums, who voiced Three Dog in Fallout 3, also revealed news of Fallout 4's existence after taking to Twitter to discuss the possibility of his character's return. However, in that instance Dellum was apparently given permission to reveal the tease, and as of yet it is unclear whether Bethesda can verify these comments.

Of course, at the moment this rumor is not backed by any official announcment. However, if it proves to be true, then it seems like an odd step for Bethesda. Since the company bought the rights to the Fallout franchise, it has alternated releases between the post-apocalyptic series and The Elder Scrolls. The move to skip an Elder Scrolls release entirely would certainly raise eyebrows, particularly given the success of Skyrim.

There is, however, one other alternative. Although Alosio allegedly mentioned Fallout 5 by name, it may well not be a game in the main series of Fallout. Bethesda outsourced Fallout: New Vegas to developer Obsidian, with the game seeing release in between the launches of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. It could be that the next game is another Fallout game developed by an outside studio. Who knows: with Bethesda holding the rights to Fallout Online after a lengthy legal battle with Interplay, perhaps that long-standing concept will finally see an actual release.

Source: FragHero (via COGConnected)