Fallout: New Vegas’ Lead Writer Returns to Obsidian

Fourteen years after leaving Obsidian, Fallout: New Vegas lead writer John Gonzalez is back. But before you start hoarding bottle caps in preparation for New Vegas 2, he’s made it crystal clear—this isn’t that.

Gonzalez, now Obsidian’s creative director, announced his return on LinkedIn this week, shutting down sequel speculation with a simple yet devastating disclaimer: “Not FNV2.”

Since his days shaping the wasteland, Gonzalez has been busy. He helped craft the orc-slashing chaos of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, led the writing on Horizon Zero Dawn, and was the narrative director for its sequel Forbidden West. Now, he’s back at Obsidian, though what he’s actually working on remains a mystery.

Naturally, fans have been clamouring for another New Vegas-style Fallout for years. Even the game’s original creators, Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, have openly expressed interest in a remaster. Meanwhile, New Vegas director Josh Sawyer has said he’d be up for another Fallout project—provided the creative conditions were right.

Back in 2022, whispers of a New Vegas sequel surfaced, with reports claiming Microsoft (which owns both Bethesda and Obsidian) was “very interested” in making it happen. And with Fallout’s popularity skyrocketing—thanks in no small part to Amazon’s upcoming TV series—fans are more desperate than ever for a new single-player Fallout experience.

But Bethesda boss Todd Howard isn’t in a hurry. He’s made it clear that the studio is willing to take its sweet time to “get it right,” which, translated from industry-speak, means Fallout 5 is still a long way off.

So, for now, New Vegas 2 remains just another legend of the wasteland. But hey, at least John Gonzalez is back in familiar territory. Whether or not he’s cooking up something special for Fallout fans? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.