TheElder Scrollsfranchise has a special place in many gamers' hearts, offering up the world of Tamriel with tons of adventures. While it’s hard to measure the direct popularity of the two franchises, theFalloutseries has also claimed a special place in the RPG world, though it has never had an MMO quite like its fantasy cousin has. However,Elder Scrolls OnlineDirector Matt Firordid attempt to make aFalloutMMOhappen.
Speaking with IGN, Firor revealed the story about the time he tried to create aFalloutMMO back before Bethesda owned the license to the series. According to Firor, he had been in talks to purchase the rightsFalloutIP to make an MMO based on the post-apocalyptic RPG series, and even found a publisher in Brash Entertainment, but then things came crashing down.
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“And then, suddenly, they stopped taking my calls,” Firor said, “like three weeks later, it was like, ‘Bethesda Acquires Fallout!’ and I was like ‘Aww, man…’ So they beat me to it. Of course it makes perfect sense that I go join them.” However, Firor didn’t quite call it quits there in regards to aFalloutMMO. Instead, he made some earnest attempts to haveElder Scrolls Onlineturned into aFalloutMMO. However, Bethesda “wouldn’t have it” and the rest is history.
Luckily, Firor doesn’t seem too burned by not being able to make theFalloutMMO of his dreams. He admits that fantasy has proven to be the way to go where MMOs are concerned, and consideringhow successfulElder Scrolls Onlinehas beendespite MMOs being notoriously difficult to get right, it seems that Firor’s assertion is correct.
Fallouthasn’t entirely stayed out of online play, though its first attempt has had a tumultuous time.Fallout 76has walked the line between standardFalloutgameplay mechanicsand MMO sensibilities, but it’s had a bevy of technical and design issues that have kept it from reaching the heights Bethesda’s other games have. Things have improved, though negative opinions about it haven’t dissipated entirely.
With Microsoft’s Bethesda deal finalized, and the first announcements made now that E3 is done and over with, it’ll be some time before fans see the future of theFalloutfranchise. However, if demand is high enough, it’s possible that aFalloutMMO in the same vein asElder Scrolls Onlinecould happen, though fans shouldn’t hold their breath. Bethesda has a lot of projects in the works at the moment, andFallout 76’s framework will likely be the go-to multiplayer option for the foreseeable future.
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