Paul Farrelly is a Contributing Writer for Screen Rant’s Gaming section and the founder of GeekGasm.org, a site dedicated to celebrating all things gaming, from triple A blockbusters to weird and wonderful indie hits. Based in Louth, Ireland, Paul has spent years writing about games, pop culture, and tech, turning his lifelong love of gaming into a career that lets him talk (probably too much) about what makes this industry so endlessly fascinating.
He’s previously written and collaborated with several entertainment outlets, including LADbible, gaining a wide perspective on how gaming fits into today’s pop culture conversation. His work blends genuine enthusiasm with thoughtful analysis, exploring how design, storytelling, and community have made gaming one of the most creative mediums around.
When he’s not glued to a controller or keyboard, Paul’s usually spinning vinyl, plotting his next horror marathon, or debating which Resident Evil entry really reigns supreme.
With the changing of the guard, so to speak, at Xbox, there are many expected changes coming our way. Both CEO Phil Spencer and President Sarah Bond have left Xbox, leaving a lot of uncertainty about the company's future. With Asha Sharma now at the helm, there are many changes expected that will directly affect us gamers. Let's get into it!
Thanks to a keen-eyed viewer over on X, we now know that Xbox exclusives are making a very real comeback on the platform. The wording of some games has now changed. Under the day one releases section, games like Forza Horizon 6 are now listed with the following message:
Be the first to play new games like Forza Horizon 6 as well as Xbox exclusives
So, with the return of Xbox exclusives confirmed, what will that mean for PlayStation or Nintendo gamers hoping to play titles like Fallout 5 or The Elder Scrolls VI on launch? Seems they might be out of luck!
Xbox Returning To Exclusives Could Spell Trouble For Fallout 5
Sticking To One Gaming Platform
Lucy fires a gun in Fallout season 2
Let's not beat around the bush. With the juggernaut success of the Fallout TV series and renewed love for Fallout 4 and even Fallout 76, thanks in most part to dedicated modders, the love for the Fallout franchise has never been stronger. Gamers are clamoring for the chance to dive into a new adventure in the Wastelands and talk of the TV series events being canon, means future games may feature fan favorites like the Ghoul, Lucy or even Maximus.
With Bethesda being a first party company for Microsoft Xbox, it looks likely that Fallout 5 will be tied exclusively to Xbox and PC through GamePass. Playstation and Nintendo players will either be left waiting for a delayed launch on their platforms or perhaps never receive Fallout 5 at all (unlikely though). The same bad news applies for The Elder Scrolls VI also.
With franchises as popular as these, though, this feels like a missed opportunity. Not having a day one release across all platforms feels like Xbox is leaving money on the table. With the record-shattering success of Fallout Season 2, not having a new game available on other consoles will hurt its sales and leave gamers on other platforms upset at having to wait longer.
Fallout 5 Is A Long Way Away, Of Course
Plenty Of Time To Course-Correct
ScreenRant.com|VTVault-Tec Corp.
G.O.A.T. Exam
ScreenRant/Vault-Tec/Fallout/Assessment
Vault-Tec · Dweller Knowledge AssessmentWar Never Changes“Prepare for the future — with Vault-Tec!”
☢️LoreThe bombs fell
🛡FactionsAd Victoriam
🎮GameplayV.A.T.S. online
👤CharactersGood boy, Dogmeat
🏆LegacySince 1997
QUESTION 1 / 8CORE LORE
01
In the Fallout universe, the Great War — the nuclear exchange that devastated civilization — took place on October 23rd of which year?
✓ Correct! The bombs fell on October 23, 2077. In just two hours, nuclear fire reshaped the world. The date is one of the most important pieces of lore across every Fallout game.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is 2077. The Great War lasted only two hours on October 23, 2077, but its effects defined every Fallout story that followed.
QUESTION 2 / 8GAME SYSTEMS
02
The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system defines your character’s core attributes. What does the “L” in S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stand for?
✓ Correct! S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. High Luck affects critical hits and random event outcomes across the series.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is Luck. The full acronym is Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck — the foundation of every Fallout character build since 1997.
QUESTION 3 / 8WASTELAND CULTURE
03
Nuka-Cola Quantum is the rarest variant of the Wasteland’s signature beverage. What gives it its distinctive bright blue glow?
✓ Correct! Nuka-Cola Quantum contains Strontium-90, a radioactive isotope that gives it the signature blue glow. Eighteen of the original taste testers reportedly lost their teeth, but focus groups loved the color.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is a mildly radioactive strontium isotope. Strontium-90 was added by the Nuka-Cola Corporation to create Quantum’s famous blue luminescence — safety concerns were deemed “acceptable.”
QUESTION 4 / 8FACTIONS
04
The Brotherhood of Steel is one of the most recognizable factions in Fallout. What is their primary mission across most games in the series?
✓ Correct! The Brotherhood of Steel is a techno-religious military order obsessed with recovering and hoarding pre-war technology. They believe advanced tech in the wrong hands caused the Great War.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is collecting and safeguarding advanced technology. Founded by Roger Maxson after the Great War, the Brotherhood believes controlling dangerous technology is the key to preventing another apocalypse.
QUESTION 5 / 8GAME MECHANICS
05
V.A.T.S. is the iconic targeting system that lets players aim at specific body parts. What does V.A.T.S. stand for?
✓ Correct! V.A.T.S. stands for Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. Introduced in Fallout 3, it bridged the gap between the original games’ turn-based combat and the new real-time shooting mechanics.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. V.A.T.S. was Bethesda’s solution for bringing targeted, strategic combat into a real-time 3D world while honoring Fallout’s RPG roots.
QUESTION 6 / 8DEVELOPMENT
06
Fallout: New Vegas is beloved for its deep role-playing and branching storylines. Which studio developed it?
✓ Correct! Obsidian Entertainment developed New Vegas using Bethesda’s Gamebryo engine. Many Obsidian staff were veterans of Black Isle Studios, who made the original Fallout games — bringing the series full circle.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is Obsidian Entertainment. While Bethesda published it, Obsidian — staffed by former Black Isle developers who created the original Fallout — handled development, delivering it in just 18 months.
QUESTION 7 / 8COMPANIONS
07
Dogmeat is the franchise’s most iconic companion. In which Fallout game did a dog named Dogmeat first appear?
✓ Correct! Dogmeat first appeared in the original Fallout (1997), found in the scrapyard town of Junktown. His name is a reference to the movie “A Boy and His Dog,” a major inspiration for the series.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is the original Fallout (1997). The very first Dogmeat could be found in Junktown, and a version of him has appeared in nearly every mainline Fallout game since.
QUESTION 8 / 8VAULT EXPERIMENTS
08
In Fallout 4, the player character emerges from Vault 111 after being kept in cryogenic suspension. What happens during that frozen sleep that sets the main story in motion?
✓ Correct! While the Sole Survivor is frozen, Kellogg and Institute operatives forcibly open the cryo pods, murder your spouse, and kidnap your son Shaun. This sets you on a quest across the Commonwealth to find him.
✗ Critical miss! The answer is your spouse is murdered and your infant son is kidnapped. The mercenary Kellogg, working for the Institute, takes Shaun from the cryo pod — and the Sole Survivor’s desperate search drives Fallout 4’s entire story.
Assessment CompleteYour Vault-Tec Aptitude Score
☢️
/ 8
Vault-Tec thanks you for your cooperation, dweller.
With Bethesda Games Studio currently working hard on The Elder Scrolls VI, it'll be a long while before we even get a hint of the next Fallout game. Experts suggest that we won't see Fallout 5 until at least 2030 or beyond, which already has many fans heartbroken over how long we've to wait. The good news, though, is that Xbox has plenty of time between now and then to either change its mind on exclusives or perhaps cherry-pick and fine tune which games should be exempt.
Asha Sharma has only been in the role a hot minute, so it's fair to expect lots of tweaks and changes between now and the release of Fallout 5. With GamePass pricing expected to be revised to be more affordable, let's hope Asha makes more positive changes within Xbox for the good of all gamers. Will Asha and the team keep up the 'everything is an Xbox'campaign and let us play anywhere on day one? Only time will tell. I just want to play Fallout 5 on day one like everyone else. Okie-dokey?
OpenCritic Reviews
