Recently, Bethesda director Todd Howard outlined a tentative plan for the company’s future releases. After both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 release, Bethesda is planning to tackle a new entry in the Fallout series. While Fallout 5 is likely still many years away, speculation has already begun amongst fans as to what the next post-apocalyptic adventure will look like. The Fallout series should be one that isn’t afraid to experiment with its own formula, especially when it comes to its setting.
Bethesda’s last two main-series Fallout games were both set in the Capital Wasteland. The region is roughly based on the US states of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, with both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 exploring different areas throughout. While this setting certainly has a lot of potential remaining, a new setting would do wonders to help reinvigorate the Fallout franchise. Fallout‘s world has a lot of potential when it comes to new settings, especially given its clear 1950s pulp sci-fi influence.
The Capital Wasteland is by no means a bad setting. The sprawling city ruins do a wonderful job showcasing a world that has been long obliterated. The thriving settlements slowly being built from the ashes give a sense of progress, while the distinctly 1950s Americana architecture serve as a constant reminder of the past and human mistakes. Considering how often the Fallout series deals with change, it’s easy to see why so many fans love the Capital Wasteland.
However, there are only so many times that the same area can be explored by players before it starts to become dull. Bethesda’s other flagship RPG series, The Elder Scrolls, benefits immensely from each game being set in a different part of Tamriel. Fallout 5 has the potential to explore a new section of the United States, or even to venture beyond North America to other parts of the world. Fallout: New Vegas understood this potential extraordinarily well, and featured one of the best wastelands in Fallout history.
Compared to the dense cities of Middle Atlantic America, the world of Fallout: New Vegas feels far more barren. The wide-open Mojave landscape ends up serving as a fantastic contrast to the settlements in New Vegas, especially the game’s titular city. The bright neon lights of New Vegas cut through the sands of the Mojave, showing players exactly why it draws so many travelers from the wastes. While the wastes may make some wish for a nuclear winter, they make the cities stand out that much more.
New Vegas was able to utilize this visual difference in a way that fit the new setting while also giving players the same kind of feeling that the Capital Wasteland does. It’s lonely and nostalgic, and yet there’s still plenty of hope for the future. This shows that a new setting for Fallout 5 could still easily capture what made the Capital Wasteland and the Mojave Wasteland fascinating to explore. Utilizing a new environment also allows Bethesda to recreate one of the best elements from the less-than-stellar Fallout 76: the cultural influence.
In Fallout 76, players can run into many creatures that are directly based on West Virginia’s own folklore. Mothman, the Flatwoods Monster, and even Wendigos can all be found roaming the wastes, creating some really unique encounters that help Fallout 76 establish its own identity. Taking the series to a new part of the world opens the door for Bethesda to take inspiration from other myths and legends in the same well-researched way.
Many states in the US have their own local legends and myths, but there’s even more potential in a Fallout game that leaves North America. While Fallout, as a series, has always had its roots in commentating on Cold War-era nationalism, that element could still be explored outside the US. It’d be great from a lore perspective to get some insight on how other parts of the world were impacted by nuclear Armageddon.
A lore-rich series like Fallout can’t really go wrong in exploring its world in new ways. Fallout 5 returning to the Capital Wasteland would probably be a safe move, but consistency doesn’t always lead to quality. A new setting that utilizes the strengths of previous Fallout games while also staying true to the tone of the series could help Bethesda ensure that one of its flagship franchises continues to interest fans.