New Vegas Lead: Bethesda Doesn’t Hate Fallout, They Just Misunderstand Its Roots in Favor of Their Own Vision

I don’t think Bethesda hates Fallout, they just don’t fully understand its roots and arguably, don’t care – they own the franchise, and they just want to do their spin on Fallout and make that the norm. January 9, 2026

He further elaborated that because Bethesda owns the intellectual property, they are intent on establishing their specific vision as the definitive version of the wasteland. Avellone described this iteration as often feeling like a “colorful, shallow theme park.” Despite the critique, he remained diplomatic, noting that “theme parks are fun for some folks,” and if players enjoy that experience, he has no grievance. He also praised Bethesda for moments of brilliance found in expansions such as Far Harbor, Point Lookout, and The Pitt.

As for me, I don’t hate Bethesda, there are things they do well (open world exploration), and there are things they do badly (telling linear stories in open world games and their inability to understand how to use the Speech skill). But every developer has their pros and cons. January 9, 2026

Ultimately, Avellone maintains a balanced view of the studio’s work. While he finds their narrative structures and mechanical implementation of social skills like “Speech” lacking, he readily credits them for their mastery of open-world discovery. “Every developer has their pros and cons,” he concluded, reinforcing that his observations come from a place of professional analysis rather than animosity.

Read more: Original Fallout creators almost reclaimed the IP, but Bethesda’s $6 million bid changed history.