A clock is ticking its way down to zero right as we speak right now. The seconds and minutes are the harbinger of an earth-shattering, monumental, and life-changing event far-shadowing an irradiated, desolated, post-apocalyptic world. This isn’t the Doomsday Clock – no, my fellow Vault dwellers, it is a countdown marked with the cryptic words “Please Stand By” for what can only be the official announcement of the much anticipated post-apocalyptic RPG, Fallout 4, by Bethesda Softworks.
#PleaseStandBy http://t.co/ChhE4rZ9GM pic.twitter.com/3NefHBcYU7
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 2, 2015
Teased earlier today with a tweet from Bethesda’s official Twitter account, the ensuing hype and excitement has gone thermonuclear. Metaphorically speaking, the gaming world has been living in an wasteland as we have awaited for weeks upon months upon years for a tidbit, a piece of news, a bloody sign of the next installment of Fallout – and with good reason. It has been nearly 7 years since the release of Fallout 3 and 5 years since the release of Fallout: New Vegas.
Over the years, plenty of mods have been released to retouch and reinvent these core games to provide new challenges and content for fans. For example, as recent as last month, the New Vegas DUST Survival Simulator was released, which completely re-hauled the game into an intense, challenging, pure post-apocalyptic survival game.
Wasteland warriors such as us can only survive for so long on replays and mods. We seek and desire a true oasis – and our desires will at least be temporarily sated in an incredibly short amount of time. As of 7:00AM Pacific / 9:00AM Central / 10:00AM Eastern time on June 3rd, when the clock finally runs out – secrets will be revealed and faces will be melted by the sheer force of impending awesome that is sure to come. Prepare yourselves, Vault dwellers – the hype is REAL.
Before the newscast of apocalyptic proportions drops, this would be the opportune moment for us to get all of you Vault Dwellers up to speed on all the important pieces of information of Fallout 4 available up to this point.
The Kotaku Leaks
In a previous news piece, exclusive voice casting documents acquired by Kotaku in December 2013 officially confirmed that Fallout 4 is a project under development. Furthermore, the leaked sources revealed that a significant (if not, the main) setting of the game takes place in Boston, Massachusetts. These documents were confirmed as real and trustworthy. They included details such as scripts and character profiles. Attached below are screenshots posted by Kotaku which make references to the game’s introduction, as well as interactions with a character named Preston Garvey assigning you a search and retrieval mission.
While the key phrase or the name of Fallout was explicitly used in the document, its designated codename (“The Institute”) is quite telling. Savvy lore experts would be quick to point out that in Fallout 3 and New Vegas references are made to a clandestine organization in the Commonwealth called the Institute that was home to a cadre of highly skilled & intelligent scientists, androids, and advanced artificial intelligence. The Institute was once previously known as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Coincidence? I think not. We’re onto you, Bethesda.
The Mysterious Patent
Nearly a year after the Kotaku leaks had occurred, a piece of information was reported on by Twinfinite that seemed to provide a secondary source confirming the game’s setting in Boston, Massachusetts. On October 25th, 2014, a patent was filed in Germany by Bethesda Softworks for a title called Fallout: Shadow of Boston. Perhaps this is a foreshadowing into the official title of the project to be announced on June 3rd?
Guillermo’s Gambit
In the middle of May, there was much excitement and speculation over the possibility that famous and critically acclaimed film director Guillermo del Toro was hired to produce a cinematic trailer for Fallout 4.
Originally discovered by Destructoid, the LinkedIn profile page of a 3D contract artist belonging to del Toro’s studio company, Mirada Studios, confirmed that 4 months of work was spent working on a Fallout 4 trailer project from December to March 2014.
The suspicions were seemingly given more weight since Mirada Studios had later sent the Destructoid editorial staff an email to rescind their story as it contained certain “inaccuracies” as well as “breaking a non-disclosure agreement.”
It is important to take with a grain of salt that Del Toro may not directly be involved with the project, as opposed to his own production studio. Nevertheless – his company carries an impressive command of reputable respect. The fact alone that the two are potentially linked gives much pause for excitement.
A First For Bethesda
As the seconds tick down towards the inevitable chain reaction to ensue from the impending Fallout 4 reveal, one element that remains particularly uncertain is how long or how much of a reveal the June 3rd announcement will be.
Considering that E3 is less than 2 weeks away, it would seem prudent for Bethesda not to unleash a torrent of informational bombshells prior to the massive event. At the very least, we can expect a short teaser. Judging from the intense fan reactions so far at the reveal of a simple “Please Stand By” bumper tweet and countdown, I expect we would voraciously eat up literally anything we are given.
What IS certain is the fact that Bethesa Softworks is loading up its big guns for the upcoming E3 extravaganza. According to the most recent version of the E3 livestream and press conference schedule posted by IGN, Bethesda Softworks is scheduled to host a conference on June 14th at 7:00PM PT / 10:00PM EST. This is quite significant because this is the first time ever that Bethesda is hosting its own conference.
One would assume that such decision would be put forward unless the company felt it had an ironclad line-up to showcase, in which Fallout 4 would be a juggernaut to contend with by other publishers.
Another piece of information to consider is the official list of Bethesda product categories posted on the E3 website. Among the product categories, it lists role-playing as a significant cross-platform presence in which Fallout 4 certainly qualifies. Although, it is entirely possible that vague categorizations could equally apply as much to Fallout as to Elder Scrolls, or a brand new IP altogether. Conversely, it is entirely plausible that a third party agent had typed up this list with limited knowledge or access to Bethesda’s release plans.
Mum’s the Word From Ron Perlman
Ron Perlman has been the unmistakable and recurring narrating voice for the Fallout games ever since its inception in 1997. If there was one person who is definitely in the know, it’s bloody Hellboy. While not news per se, Ron Perlman made an interesting and cryptic statement during this past weekend’s Phoenix Comic Con.
Ron Perlman @ Phoenix Comicon on Fallout 4: "I wish I could give you news on that, but I can't and I won't" with a huge knowing smirk #phxcc
— Keith Wasielewski (@BluestarNEO) May 31, 2015
According to this tweet, Perlman neither confirms nor denies his involvement in the project – although, at this point, it would be absolutely shocking to not have him reprise his iconic roles. The more likely scenario is that he is also under a non-disclosure agreement with Bethesda Softworks. Nevertheless, the way he phrases his response highly suggests he has insider knowledge. Will Perlman’s confirmed role be part of the June 3rd or the E3 reveal? Maybe if we bribed Hellboy with a stack of pancakes he’d be far more willing to comply…
Take shelter or revel in the blast radius of the impending knowledge bomb, my dear warriors of the wasteland! The clock is ticking and the dawn of a new age is nigh! What do you think the Fallout 4 announcement will reveal? What are you most excited about? Feel to comment and share below, and remember to tune in at 7:00AM PT / 9:00AM Central / 10:00AM Eastern time!
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