Fallout 5 possibly in development alongside Starfield, Elder Scrolls 6

Xbox division head Phil Spencer confirms Bethesda Softworks is working on a few unannounced games...what could they be? Fallout 5? The new Doom sequel? The next-gen ZeniMax MMO IP?

Right now ZeniMax Media's dev teams are working on a bunch of projects. Some we know about; id has a new Doom game in the works, Arkane is making Deathloop, MachineGames is making Wolfenstein 3, Bethesda Game Studios is making Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, and ZeniMax Online is gearing up for a new mysterious IP. There's also some projects we don't know about, and these games should tremendously benefit from the big Microsoft acquisition.

In the most recent Major Nelson podcast, Xbox's Phil Spencer talked about Bethesda's ambitious new games and how the team is working on new projects we haven't seen yet. This could include a next-gen Fallout 5 built on the same engine as Starfield and TESVI...but something like that will happen way down the line.

"2021 is when we'll be getting approval and we're feeling really good about that. That's when we'll start getting some of the planning--right now we're really hands-off with them as they continue to do the work they're doing, because we don't own them yet.

"The Bethesda teams are going to be very, very critical to our progress going forward. It's exciting news, I can't wait to get it closed so we can start working like one company.

"I'm incredibly excited about Starfield and a lot of the other things--some of the things announced, some of them not announced--they're working on. I just think they're going to be an incredible addition to our studios.

"When I think about our RPG capability with Obsidian, inXile, with the work that Playground is doing (Fable), and with what Bethesda can do...it's massive capability."

Bethesda has yet to confirm a new Fallout game and will ride Fallout 76 for as long as possible. The company has been transforming its franchises into live games in an effort to maximize engagement and monetization, which will help fund new projects over time.