Fallout 5 May Be Exclusive To This Console, So You Might Wanna Start Saving

Xbox has officially confirmed the future of its hardware by announcing Project Helix, the next step for its console division that promises players will be able to play both their Xbox and PC games on one device. It’s a compelling premise, but it could have enormous consequences for franchises like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and a lot more besides.

It’s been a very big few weeks at the top for Xbox generally, with longtime head honcho Phil Spencer out, replaced by the former President of Core AI, Asha Sharma, who comes in as Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Since taking the role, Sharma has been active on social media, sharing her Xbox profile and the games she plays, as well as responding to fans’ questions about what the brand will be like moving forward. She’s been refreshingly honest thus far, and so we have a decent idea of the company’s intentions, and there could be some pretty enormous changes on the way.

Fallout 5 Is Definitely Coming To Xbox’s New Console

The first thing to say is that Fallout 5 will absolutely be releasing on the new Project Helix console. Though we don’t really have a complete timeline for either, the new console’s release is likely to be at least a few years away, with Sharma promising to share more details with developers and companies at this year’s GDC.

At the same time, Bethesda Entertainment is undoubtedly focused on producing The Elder Scrolls VI in as timely a manner as possible from here on out. That game is definitely the studio’s main focus, particularly given that it is approaching 15 years since the release of Skyrim, and there won’t really be any talk of Fallout 5 until it drops.

That’s not even taking into account the inordinately lengthy development cycles that AAA games seem to have to go through as standard in 2026. Fallout 5 has, at the very least, now been greenlit for full production, but it’s difficult to hold out much hope that we’ll see it much before 2030.

Could Fallout 5 Be A Console Exclusive?

With that in mind, Sharma has stated that she “hears” fans who want a return to Xbox exclusives moving forward, and a move away from the increased integration between rival platforms.

That could easily lead to a future where Fallout 5 launches as an exclusive on the new console, with PlayStation players waiting out in the cold for a year or more before it hits their chosen platform. Project Helix also won’t be cheap, and the company will be looking for a direct recoupment of their investment in it before too long.

The fact that the new console is set to play PC games as well as Xbox titles does muddy the waters a little bit, because it’s unclear what a Fallout “exclusive” would look like in that world. That said, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the next Xbox generation will be very different from the current run, and it could be the move the company needs to become competitive in the console market again.