Todd Howard is tired of the internet obsessing over bad blood between Bethesda Game Studios and Obsidian Entertainment. The Fallout director flatly dismissed speculation about tension between the two studios, reaffirming what he has consistently stated for years: the relationship is solid.
The rumored animosity supposedly stems from Obsidian's work on Fallout: New Vegas, a 2010 spin-off that many fans consider the franchise's high point. The theory goes that Bethesda harbors resentment over the critical and community success of a game it did not develop. Howard has never supported this narrative and continued to reject it this week.
Speaking to Windows Central in the wake of confirmation that Obsidian is developing a new Fallout project, Howard said Bethesda is "super excited" about the collaboration. "I appreciate some of the fan chatter, but behind the scenes, there's a huge amount of mutual respect," he said. "We're always kind of wondering if we could find a way to work together in the right way."
Howard's remarks echo comments he made to IGN back in 2019, when he stated flatly that Bethesda "always had a great relationship" with Obsidian and called New Vegas a project where "there's only one group that we really trust to do this, and it was awesome." He added then: "For me, it was either this group or nobody."
The confirmation of Obsidian's new Fallout title came alongside Bethesda's broader roadmap for the franchise. Fallout 5 has entered pre-production, remasters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas are in development, and the Fallout 76 expansion Raven Rock is scheduled for next year. Bethesda also announced an unscripted Fallout Shelter television project in the works with Amazon Studios and Kilter Films, which earned 10 Emmy nominations for Season 2 of the main Fallout TV series.
Details remain scarce on what exactly Obsidian is building. Whether it's a sequel to New Vegas, an entirely new entry, or something else remains unknown. Obsidian was also hit by recent Xbox layoffs and reportedly canceled Avowed 2 as part of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's strategic shift toward the company's largest franchises.
Fallout 4, which launched a decade ago, has now sold over 35 million copies and continues pulling in new players. Bethesda is planning a live Fallout Day celebration in Washington, D.C. next year to mark the franchise's 30th anniversary.
Author Emily Chen: "The studio rivalry angle makes for good forum drama, but Howard's consistency here suggests Bethesda and Obsidian genuinely work well together on paper, even if fans would rather imagine a feud."
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