Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds may be a better Fallout than Fallout

Less than a month after being acquired by Microsoft, Obsidian has announced its next game at tonight’s Game Awards, and it may confirm claims that the studio will keep operating independently — for now at least. Not only is the game being launched on multiple platforms, it seems to carry the spirit of Obsidian’s beloved Fallout: New Vegas.

The Outer Worlds is a new single-player first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division. Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake decades later only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter various factions, all vying for power, the character you decide to become will determine how this player-driven story unfolds. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable.

The Outer Worlds takes place in a rustic space colony setting that’s all the rage these days, complete with janky space tech and old-timey but still evil corporations calling the shots. The trailer featured only glimpses of gameplay, but enough to show that the game will be in first-person and packed with Obsidian’s signature sense of humor. If the latest Fallout game left you cold, maybe the vast emptiness of space will be more inviting.