Bethesda places Fallout 5 into early pre-production

Bethesda Game Studios confirmed that its post-apocalyptic series will see a fifth mainline entry.

Fallout 5 enters pre-production on Creation Engine 3. The studio disclosed in its July 17 update that the sequel remains in early pre-production and will use Creation Engine 3, the same engine behind Starfield in 2023 and the next main Elder Scrolls title. Bethesda noted that this project will arrive sometime after the next Elder Scrolls game.

The announcement came as part of a wide-ranging update on the studio's future projects. Starfield received credit for greater stability than typical Bethesda releases, yet the choice of engine raises questions about whether the new Fallout could appear dated upon release, especially in areas such as facial expressions.

Multiple Fallout projects advance at Bethesda and Obsidian. Bethesda is also producing remasters of both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. The studio confirmed a collaboration with Obsidian Entertainment on an additional new Fallout game that is not Fallout 5.

A television series based on the mobile game Fallout Shelter is currently in development. "Fallout is one of our biggest priorities today," Bethesda stated. "Fallout 5 remains our long-range destination, and we have multiple Fallout projects in active development right now."

Internal challenges surface after recent layoffs. Developers remaining at Bethesda following layoffs described the studio as being in disarray. A report indicated that the next Elder Scrolls title faces potential delays and that the quality assurance department has been "decimated."

The next Elder Scrolls game itself is reportedly still at least a couple of years away.