Bethesda added a 'newvegas2' branch to Fallout 4, fueling rumors of a New Vegas follow-up

Fallout fans are puzzling over changes made to Fallout 4's backend on Steam after an update on April 4, visible on SteamDB, added a branch labeled "newvegas2". It's the kind of change a developer might make in advance of new content being added, or a beta test beginning, but the way it was named has made players wonder if it could mean Bethesda is planning a sequel to Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas, or a remastered version in Fallout 4's engine.

A day later, Bethesda deleted the branch, perhaps to quell all that speculation. Which it hasn't succeeded in doing, because we're still here, speculating away.

The most likely answer is that it's connected to the Fallout 4 next-gen update Bethesda announced would be coming in 2023, and said will include "performance mode features for high frame rates, quality features for 4K resolution gameplay, bug fixes and even bonus Creation Club content!" When the similarly gussied-up Skyrim Anniversary Edition came out, as well as including all the Creations previously available for Skyrim, it came with 26 new ones, including several that referenced earlier Elder Scrolls games Morrowind and Oblivion. 

So it could be that this branch was simply named in honor of a new Creation Club pack themed around New Vegas. There's already a Creation in the store that adds an anti-materiel rifle direct from the NCR, so Bethesda clearly isn't averse to popping a bit of Obsidian's Fallout game into their own. You can even get a suit of ranger armor to dress up like you're on the New Vegas box art in Fallout 76—something that would probably be quite easy to port from there into Fallout 4.

While a collection of gear and power armor paint jobs representing all the factions of the Mojave seems more likely, the idea of a New Vegas sequel, even if it comes as Fallout 4 DLC, certainly has appeal. Just last year, Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart said he'd "love to make another Fallout game." And obviously there are people who'd like to see a remastered version of New Vegas made with Fallout 4's engine, because the Fallout 4: New Vegas mod is essentially doing just that, while on a smaller scale the Project Mojave mod has recreated several New Vegas locations, with a companion mod bringing over some of its, well, companions—namely Veronica, Arcade, Raul, and Rose.

Here's hoping that Bethesda learned its lesson from the launch of Skyrim Anniversary Edition and whatever ends up in Fallout 4's next-gen update isn't quite such a headache for modders. It'd also be nice if its new additions were a little more exciting. Back when the Creation Club was first added to Fallout 4, Chris took it for a test drive and was just sort of whelmed by its offerings. 

Meanwhile, if you want to replay Obsidian's entry in the series made all shiny and new, you don't need to wait for a hypothetical remaster. Modders have got you covered, and we've got a guide to tweaking it so you can have the best Fallout: New Vegas experience.