Obsidian Entertainment was working on a new IP that is now being scrapped in favor of a new Fallout game, according to a report.
Bloomberg’s investigative journalist Jason Schreier took to the ResetEra forums to react to a report from Windows Central’s Jez Corden, who claimed to have learned that Obsidian Entertainment had been building a prototype for a Fallout title on the side for as long as two years, pending collaboration with Bethesda. According to Schreier, his information is “not true.” He mentioned that the unannounced project the studio had been working on was in fact a new IP being developed under veteran RPG director Josh Sawyer that. However, he added that the project was ultimately canceled in favor of a new Fallout game following the recent Xbox restructuring.
Addressing speculation that the game may have been connected to Fallout, Schreier said, “Before the [Xbox] reorganization, Josh Sawyer was leading a project [at Obsidian Entertainment] that was a lot like Fallout but a new IP,” He added that the similarities to Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG series had “led to a lot of confusion.”
The investigative journalist further mentioned that the project was internally codenamed “Michigan.” “I can’t comment on what Obsidian wanted to do before starting Sawyer’s most recent project, which was code-named Michigan,” he stated. “What I can say is that Michigan was not Fallout nor was it a prototype that they hoped would become Fallout. But it is now being scrapped for a new Fallout. I do not know how much of Michigan, if any, will be used for the new Fallout.”
When asked whether Sawyer had originally wanted to make a Fallout game but was prevented from doing so by Bethesda, Schreier replied, “Can’t comment on that one until I feel comfortable reporting the answer with 100% certainty.”
Schreier’s statements are in line with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s decision to pivot towards its biggest franchises. It’s currently unclear whether the upcoming Fallout project will reuse any of Michigan’s gameplay systems, technology, or narrative ideas.
