Fans of the 2010 RPG classic, Fallout: New Vegas, have a reason to celebrate. John Gonzalez, the creative mastermind behind the beloved game, has returned to Obsidian Entertainment, now part of Xbox Game Studios, after a long hiatus of 14 years.
According to Gonzalez’s LinkedIn update, he’s stepping back into Obsidian as a creative director. Although he hasn’t spilled the beans on any specific projects, he did mention that he’s back for some “exciting times.”
Naturally, many are eager to theorize about a potential sequel to New Vegas. However, Gonzalez was quick to clarify the situation, stating outright, “No, it’s not FNV2.” So, while the dream of a direct follow-up may be off the table, the odds are good that he’s diving into a new single-player RPG at Obsidian, a genre they’re well-known for and one he has significant experience with.
Besides his iconic role in New Vegas, Gonzalez boasts an impressive resume. He was the lead narrative designer on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, released in 2014. His storytelling prowess continued as narrative director for Guerilla Games’ sprawling open-world hits, Horizon: Zero Dawn and its sequel, Horizon: Forbidden West. Earlier in his career, he contributed to games like Alter Echo by Outrage Entertainment, Ubisoft’s strategy offering Tom Clancy’s EndWar, and other projects with Fantastic Pixel Castle.
In recent years, Obsidian has been on a roll, churning out hits like 2019’s The Outer Worlds, which earned praise for its intriguing sci-fi storytelling. They also created the inventive survival adventure, Grounded, and explored a unique historical narrative with Pentiment in 2022. And the future looks promising too: 2025 will see the release of Pillars of Eternity’s RPG, Avowed, slotted for a February launch, and the much-anticipated The Outer Worlds 2 later next year.
Whether Gonzalez will be part of The Outer Worlds 2 team remains uncertain. It’s likely that his expertise will feed into a new RPG for Obsidian. Could it be a fresh tale within the Pillars of Eternity universe? Perhaps a completely different Fallout spinoff? Or maybe he’s working on an entirely new intellectual property? The possibilities are endless and enticing.
Whatever Gonzalez is cooking up, it’s certain to intrigue Xbox and PC players. Like Obsidian’s recent hits, it’s expected to debut on Xbox Game Pass from day one. Though the subscription cost has increased, you can still snag three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for a bargain at $29.99 through CDKeys.
Stay tuned for the latest updates as we keep our eyes peeled on what John Gonzalez and Obsidian Entertainment have in store for gamers everywhere.
