Fallout 5's Official Setting Makes Perfect Sense

The unfortunate truth about Fallout 5 remains that we are all likely going to be waiting a very long time before we actually get to play it. Bethesda have now taken the radical step of confirming that it is actively in production, but with The Elder Scrolls VI still hanging around their necks like the proverbial albatross, it would be a surprise if it's here before 2030.

That said, it's still nice to talk about what we might get to see in the next game, in what is arguably the most established franchise in the RPG space right now. If there's one thing that could make or break a new Fallout release, it's the setting, as the cities we have seen so far have all played a crucial role in making the experience so special.

The other thing they have in common is that they're all found in America, and it turns out the idea of moving the game beyond those shores has more high-profile backers than you might expect.

Moving Fallout Outside Of The USA Has Potential

As first reported by Insider Gaming, former design director and key creative force behind Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, Bruce Nesmith recently spoke on the topic of Fallout moving the setting of the next game outside the USA. Perhaps unexpectedly, he was much more open to the idea than the locations of previous games would suggest:

"I think it can go to any city that has a really distinctive style to it. You look at the places they’ve already taken Fallout and it’s Las Vegas, Washington DC, Boston and they’re all places full of style. It would be very tempting to go outside of the country too even though Fallout is highly rooted in Americana."

Going into specific suggestions, Nesmith put forward a number of interesting ideas for potential settings for the next game:

"I think London or Paris could be amazing settings, just as two examples, but if you’re going to stay in America I think New Orleans is a great place to set a Fallout game. I think St. Louis could be fun too. I’d say Los Angeles but we’ve already been to California with the original Fallout games but we could go back to the West Coast too, and LA will always be a fun setting. You could do a lot there, especially if you lean into the Hollywood studios."

The London shout feels particularly prescient given the unprecedented success of Fallout 4 fan-made overhaul mod Fallout: London, which is arguably the greatest example of its kind that you'll find anywhere. Interestingly, we also have some inclination from Bethesda head Todd Howard as well, and it doesn't line up with everything Nesmith had to say.

Todd Howard Has A Point

Custom Image by Brad Lang

When asked about the potential location of the next game, Todd Howard only confirmed that it would take place in a world where the events of the Prime Video adaptation happened. It's a reasonable inference that the next game will therefore likely be in America, given that the show has exclusively remained there at the time of writing.

It has to be said at this point, that if Howard does in fact intend to keep the series in the USA, he might have a point. So much of the existing lore and narrative of the games centers on what the United States was like before the nuclear apocalypse. The 50s-esque styling, the resource wars before the big day, and the inimitable style that the hyper-patriots found in the series tend to employ.

If you remove that all at once, there's an immense risk that a chunk of the Fallout series' identity is gone along with it. Projects like Fallout: London showed that a huge win set on another continent is possible, but it's a genuinely bold play that has just as much chance of failing to pay off, as it does of revolutionizing the series.

If anywhere, it might be nice to see a Fallout game set in China, to see the other side of the equation that brought about the destruction of both countries (as far as we know). There's plenty of foundation in the lore that could be built upon, and some really interesting historical locations that could make for some wonderful maps to explore.