With Fallout Season 2 bringing a new wave of fans into the wasteland, attention is once again turning to Fallout 5, even though Bethesda has shared very little about the game so far. In a recent conversation with Game Informer, senior Bethesda developers offered insight into what they hope the future of the franchise will look like.
Studio design director Emil Pagliarulo said his main goal is to deliver a Fallout experience that matches — or exceeds — the longevity of previous entries. According to him, Fallout games aren’t meant to be finished in a few dozen hours, but rather played for hundreds of hours, with deep systems, replayability, and stories that players can sink into over the long term.
That philosophy isn’t new for Bethesda. Games like Fallout 3, New Vegas, and Fallout 4 are known for their enormous worlds, side quests, and freedom to ignore the main story for hours on end. Pagliarulo acknowledged that Fallout 5 will have a lot to live up to in terms of scale, especially for longtime fans who expect massive open-ended RPGs.
At the same time, Bethesda wants the series to evolve. Pagliarulo pointed to quality-of-life upgrades as a key focus, using the Oblivion remaster as an example. Features like sprinting, which didn’t exist in the original release, were added because modern players now expect them. Bethesda sees these changes as necessary to keep up with how the industry has moved forward.
Bethesda leadership also emphasized that the studio’s biggest lesson between Fallout 4 and Starfield is that there’s no single definition of an RPG. That mindset suggests Fallout 5 could push the franchise in new directions while still staying true to what fans love.
While Fallout 5 remains a long way off, the message is clear: Bethesda wants the next Fallout to be bigger, more flexible, and more modern than ever — and built to last for hundreds of hours.
