UPDATE 4TH MARCH: The excitement was unfounded. Iron Galaxy clarified that it uses the “please stand by” Fallout slide every month for meetings, and that “it has nothing to do with anything Fallout being worked on”.
“There is nothing to see here,” Iron Galaxy wrote on X. “Sorry to disturb the volcanoes, but that was just a [behind the scenes] look at our company meeting. We use that slide every month and [it] has nothing to do with anything Fallout being worked on. As you can imagine, we love Fallout, too. Now pardon us as we retreat back into our vault.”
ORIGINAL STORY 3RD MARCH: Iron Galaxy, a studio celebrated for superbly remastering Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, has dropped an egregious hint it may be remastering Fallout: New Vegas next.
The hint was made on LinkedIn in a company update post, also shared on X, which said: “Today’s our February company meeting. It’s time to catch up with what the company’s been up to and what’s coming up next for IG.” Posted next to this was an image showing a desktop computer with Fallout-themed “please stand by” images on the screens. These hold images appear to be loading screens from Fallout: New Vegas.
The image and LinkedIn post in question. | Image credit: Eurogamer
It’s a knowing tease to make so close to the second Fallout TV series ending, which itself was heavily inspired by the New Vegas game. Since it aired and propelled Fallout into popular culture again, a New Vegas remaster, or indeed a Fallout 3 remaster, has seemed a hot prospect. Any clue even remotely related to it has been devoured by fans, such as a countdown timer on Amazon’s website that proved to be a red herring. Iron Galaxy must have known it would get attention.
Could Iron Galaxy’s involvement be true? There’s a chance. Iron Galaxy not only has remaster pedigree but previous experience of working with Bethesda and Fallout, having adapted Fallout 4 for VR in 2017, and brought Fallout 76 to consoles in 2018. Iron Galaxy also ported The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim to Switch in 2017, and to VR. It’s familiar with Bethesda’s games. But would a company entrusted with this project be so reckless as to tease it on LinkedIn and X? The posts remain visible still, four days after they were made. The brazenness is suspicious.
Fallout: New Vegas came out in 2010, two years after Fallout 3. It was made not by Bethesda but Obsidian Entertainment, which had a habit of developing follow-ups to big role-playing games at the time – Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords being another of these. Nevertheless, New Vegas is considered one of the strongest Fallout games. “Obsidian has created a totally compelling world and its frustrations pale into insignificance compared to the immersive, obsessive experience on offer,” we wrote in our 9/10 Fallout: New Vegas review.