Fallout 4 Steam Update Fuels Rumors Of A New Vegas Sequel

Rumors are swirling among fans of the Fallout franchise after a new branch titled "newvegas2" was added to Fallout 4's backend. The branch was made visible to players via Steam DB, after an update on April 4.

Although the reference to Fallout: New Vegas was quickly deleted, speculation among players has only intensified. The branch was gone by April 5, but its existence points to a potential for new content, and the branch's name and swift removal suggest Bethesda may be trying to quiet down rumors. Naturally, this has had the opposite effect, with many players excitedly tweeting their theories on what this could mean for the franchise.

Of course, the branch showed up in Fallout 4, meaning it's could be related to that game instead. The most likely option seems to be new Fallout 4 content referencing New Vegas, like a Creation Club Pack featuring designs and motifs from the beloved game. Since Fallout 4 is due for a next-gen update sometime this year, the mysterious "newvegas2" branch could simply be related to upcoming in-game content meant mainly for nostalgic purposes--not a full-on sequel to New Vegas. (If you're simply looking for something new, check out recommendations for the best Fallout 4 mods.)

Fallout: New Vegas was originally released in 2010, a joint venture between Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment. Launching between the release of Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, New Vegas became an instant classic. But Obsidian hasn't worked on the Fallout franchise since New Vegas, so it's unclear who would work on a potential New Vegas sequel, which could be impacted by the absence of the creatives responsible for the original game. That said, Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart seems quite open to another Fallout game, with other Obsidian employees voicing enthusiasm about potentially working on a remake of the original New Vegas. In January, Urquhart told Gamepressure, "Of course, if we ever got the opportunity to make another Fallout game, we'd make it."

Unfortunately for New Vegas fans, Urquhart confirmed in the same interview that Obsidian does not currently have a Fallout game in development, lending further credence to the theory that the mysterious "newvegas2" branch is strictly related to an upcoming Fallout 4 update, and likely unrelated to a remake or sequel of Obsidian's 2010 RPG. Still the branch's existence does seem to suggest that Bethesda is aware of the appetite its playerbase has for New Vegas content, so it's possible players will one day see Bethesda resurrect the game in some manner--with or without Obsidian's input.