A countdown video in the style of Fallout was spotted in a placeholder on Amazon for a Bethesda game, leading to speculation that a new game in the franchise is in the works.
The Amazon placeholder, which was discovered by Twitter user Wario64, was for an unnamed Bethesda game that will be released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It had three different versions, namely Standard, Deluxe, and Collector’s Edition, but all with a $60 price tag and a release date of December 31 of this year.
The placeholders, which have since been taken down by Amazon, did not contain any references to Bethesda’s Fallout franchise. However, they also came with a countdown video that is similar to those used for previous titles in the series, creating the connection with the placeholders. The countdown video, unlike the placeholders, is still accessible on Amazon.
Bethesda launched Fallout 76 in November 2018, but the game suffered from various issues, including a firestorm over a canvas bag that was supposedly part of its Power Armor Edition. Bethesda likely wants to move on from the criticism against the MMORPG, but with the placeholder supposedly for something that would roll out just a year after, it will likely not be a new Fallout game.
If the placeholders are indeed related to the series, the speculation is that they will be for a remastered version of either Fallout 3, which was released in October 2008 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, or Fallout: New Vegas, which was released in October 2010 on the same platforms.
However, with the speculation based on nothing more than a countdown video, there is also the possibility that the placeholder is not related to the franchise, or that the placeholder will not materialize into a Bethesda game.
If the game really will be released this year, Bethesda will probably reveal it soon, likely at E3 2019. Fallout 76 was announced shortly before E3 2018 last year and then featured at the annual gaming event. Bethesda may follow the same timeline for this rumored project.
This year’s E3, however, will be different, as Sony will not be participating in the event. Microsoft is rumored to be planning to take advantage of its rival’s absence with the unveiling of the next-generation Xbox consoles. Will Bethesda be there to reveal what the Amazon placeholders are for?
