Bethesda’s Comments on Fallout are Disappointing, But Not Surprising

So far, every game in the Fallout franchise has been set entirely within the confines of the United States. Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas took place on the West Coast of the U.S., while Fallout 3 and 4 used the Eastern U.S. as their setting. Even the Fallout spin-offs, like Fallout 76, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, and Fallout Tactics have adhered to this rule in one way or another. Fallout fans have wondered for years if a future installment in the franchise will ever let players explore a location outside the United States. Luckily, a few employees from Bethesda Game Studios have recently shared their thoughts on this matter, though it’s likely not the answer a lot of players would like to hear.

During Summer Game Fest, Insider Gaming’s Grant Taylor-Hill spoke with Jonathan Rush and Bill LaCoste, two lead developers on Fallout 76, and asked them if Fallout could ever leave the United States. In response, they said “never say never, but probably not.” According to Rush, “a big part of the spirit of Fallout is that sense of America,” so if the series was taken out of the United States, it would be hard to retain its tone and feel. LaCoste agreed with what Rush said and added that Bethesda likes to “keep people very mystified about what else is happening” in other parts of the world.

Is the Original Fallout Worth Playing in 2025?

The Fallout series is one of the most popular RPG series, but few fans have tried the near 28-year-old Fallout 1 despite its historical value.

Bethesda Likely Won’t Take the Fallout Series Beyond America Anytime Soon

The Fallout Franchise is Deeply Rooted in American Culture

Considering how reluctant Bethesda has been to release a Fallout game that’s set outside the U.S., it’s not surprising that Rush and LaCoste share this opinion. As Rush stated, American culture is deeply ingrained into Fallout‘s identity. Since its inception, the Fallout series has served as a parody of 1950s Americana. Much of the franchise’s satire comes from its juxtaposition of blissful Atomic Age optimism with the harsh realities of post-apocalyptic America. Many of the iconic things from the series, like Vault Boy, Nuka-Cola, and Vault-Tec, wouldn’t really fit as well in a non-American setting.

A New Fallout Game that’s Set Outside the U.S. Would Have a Lot of Potential

With that being said, it’s a bit disappointing that Bethesda isn’t willing to experiment more with locations and settings in the Fallout series. A mainline Fallout game set in Europe or Asia could bring a very refreshing perspective to the franchise’s narrative, and it would give players a clearer picture of what’s happening outside the U.S. Even though the Fallout games have really extensive lore, they provide surprisingly few details about the state of the world beyond North America. Countries like China, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom are referenced regularly throughout the series, but it’s unclear if they’re still inhabited by large human populations.

The Canceled Fallout Extreme Would’ve Been the First Fallout Game Set in Asia

Prior to Bethesda’s acquisition of the Fallout franchise in 2007, Interplay Entertainment (the original owner of the IP) was working on a Fallout game that could’ve shed some light on the condition of some of these countries in the franchise’s world. In the year 2000, some employees at 14° East, a subsidiary of Interplay, were making a first and third-person squad-based tactical shooter called Fallout Extreme. This game was being developed exclusively for home consoles, and it would’ve featured several explorable regions like Russia, Mongolia, Canada, and even China. Sadly, the proposal for Fallout Extreme was rejected by Interplay, and the game never saw the light of day.

Fallout: London Shows that a Non-American Fallout Game Could Work

Although Fallout Extreme may have strayed too far from the RPG core of the Fallout series, it still would’ve been nice to see a Fallout game that lets players travel to non-American countries. American culture plays a big role in determining Fallout‘s identity, but there’s still a lot of demand for a new installment in the franchise that’s set in other parts of the world. The 2024 fan mod Fallout: London, in fact, is the biggest proof of this. This game was downloaded by over one million people in just three months, and it still retained the essence of Fallout despite being set in London, England. Bethesda probably won’t release a Fallout: London or Fallout Extreme-esque game anytime soon, but it will hopefully reconsider this in the future.