Fallout: New Vegas, developed by Obsidian, is generally held to be the best of the Bethesda-era Fallout games. Some people even believe (erroneously) that it's the best of them all. And Obsidian has previously expressed enthusiasm for the property: Designer Eric Fenstermaker tweeted in 2016 that "most of [Obsidian] generally are" up for taking on a new Fallout because it's a "really fun property to work on," and CEO Feargus Urquhart said last year that he'd "love to do another Fallout."

So with the multiplayer-focused Fallout 76 on the horizon, it's not entirely surprising that someone asked about the likelihood of the studio making a new, properly single-player Fallout. Alas, the answer was not encouraging:

A new Obsidian-helmed Fallout is a pleasant fantasy, but the doubt shouldn't come as any surprise. For one thing, Todd Howard said in July that Bethesda's growth over recent years now enables it to keep all development in-house (although he added that Obsidian "did a fabulous job" with New Vegas). And for another, a recent rumor had Obsidian lined up for acquisition by Microsoft in a deal that one source said was already "90 percent" complete. Bethesda outsourcing one of its biggest games to a Microsoft studio? I don't see that happening.

Fallout 76 comes out on November 14. And if you haven't played New Vegas yet and wonder what you missed, it's currently half price in the Humble Store's Bethesda Bombs Drop sale.

Thanks, VG247.