Obsidian's reported return to Fallout may be closer in shape to the Bethesda-era RPGs than the series' classic isometric roots, according to a new leak.
The reported gameplay detail comes from Windows Central's Jez Corden, who is cited in a new report as saying on the Xbox Two podcast that Obsidian's Fallout project is not being designed as an isometric game. Instead, the claim is that it will be a modern-style Fallout game, closer to what fans know from the recent mainline entries. Bethesda, Microsoft and Obsidian have not announced the project, so the detail should be treated as unconfirmed.
The leak lands only days after Obsidian was reported to be moving toward a new Fallout game led by Josh Sawyer, the director of Fallout: New Vegas. Bloomberg reported that Obsidian had canceled multiple projects, including a sequel to Avowed, as Microsoft shifted the studio toward Fallout. Windows Central later said it could corroborate the broad plan with its own sources and reported that Bethesda Game Studios is expected to work with Obsidian on the project in some capacity.
That wider context is what makes the latest format claim interesting. A new Obsidian Fallout could have gone several ways, from a smaller throwback RPG to a full modern entry in the post-apocalyptic series. If Corden's information is accurate, the project is being aimed at the more familiar Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4 lineage instead of the overhead style of Fallout 1 and Fallout 2.
There are still major unknowns. The game has not been named, platforms have not been announced and there is no public release window. It is also unclear whether the project is a direct Fallout: New Vegas follow-up, Fallout 5, a separate spin-off or something else inside the same universe.
For Fallout fans, the most concrete piece remains Sawyer's reported involvement. New Vegas has stayed central to the series' reputation because of its quest design, factions and reactivity, and the idea of Obsidian returning to the wasteland has long been one of the most requested possibilities around Xbox's ownership of Bethesda. This latest leak does not confirm the game, but it narrows the rumored pitch in a way players will immediately understand.