Todd Howard recently addressed the possibility of working with Obsidian and CEO Feargus Urquhart, emphasizing his respect for them both. In an interview with Kinda Funny, he declined to comment on the internal operations of Microsoft, but emphasized that he has never harbored any animosity towards Obsidian for their work on Fallout: New Vegas. On the contrary, he emphasized the importance of the title to Bethesda and commended the team’s exceptional work in creating a game that holds significant meaning for both fans and the studio.
Howard also hinted that if Bethesda and Microsoft aim to release a Fallout game before 2030, they may need to collaborate with a different third-party studio. He suggested that conversations have already taken place with other studios regarding potential Fallout spinoffs, but the emergence of such a project within the next decade remains uncertain.