For many, the announcement that Microsoft was acquiring Bethesda came as a shock, but as that faded, speculation on the sheer amount of possibilities took over. Many were asking questions about the future of The Elder Scrolls 6 on PS5 and Xbox Series X, what this meant for the studio, and the future of the Xbox Series X itself. Moreover, one very important question was also raised: what about Fallout: New Vegas 2?
A few years ago, even mentioning a possible sequel to Obsidian's take on the franchise would have been laughed off, but as it stands now, even Obsidian has seemingly expressed interest in returning to Fallout: New Vegas...in some way. Oddly enough, there's a conundrum with this newfound interest that a potential sequel to New Vegas also shares with the Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy.
The Future of Fallout: New Vegas, the Future of Mass Effect
For starter's, the entire premise and excitement around the games exists on pure hope. The Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy, supposedly called the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, was initially rumored to be revealed and released in October, as odd as that seems. Now, reportedly due to mechanical troubles with the first game, it's been delayed into 2021, which is all acceptable if it's true. Some believe that the game will be revealed on November 7 (N7 Day), which again, would be great to see. However, here's the problem: these rumors have appeared time and again over the years, promising a Mass Effect remaster or remake just to fade into obscurity.
Sadly, it seems to be trending that way as well. If there isn't an announcement on N7 Day, which is the most obvious for a reveal, then it's unlikely that the rumors held much water to begin with. Best case scenario, the game has been delayed too far back, which suggests it's further away than many hope. Just looking at Skate 4 (or whatever the new Skate game is), fans can practically will games into existence, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
The same could be said of Fallout: New Vegas 2. It's in Bethesda's best interest to focus on establishing Starfield and working on The Elder Scrolls 6, so letting Obsidian take the reigns of Fallout once again is a win-win for everyone under Microsoft's roof. In fact, it's even possible that Obsidian's secret project is Fallout: New Vegas 2...if we're squinting correctly. It's not impossible, but at the same time, Fallout: New Orleans was once considered a possibility. New Vegas fans have been hopping for another Fallout game similar to it for years, and while the timing couldn't be better, there's nothing solid.
And that puts Fallout: New Vegas 2 and the Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy in the same boat. Fans want them, and many want them badly. However, without any real tease from Bethesda(or Obsidian) and without any real reason to believe BioWare is doing something it doesn't normally do, the future of Fallout: New Vegas and Mass Effect is uncertain. Of course, as with the aforementioned Skate 4, that doesn't mean fans should try to stop trying to will it. Hopefully, these become a reality one day, and if rumors and fan desire is enough, that still could be one day relatively soon.
Neither a new Fallout game nor the Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy have been confirmed.