Bethesda Opens Fallout 3 Forums

Hot on the heels of their purchase of the Fallout IP from Interplay, Bethesda Softworks has opened a new set of forums dedicated to their upcoming post-apocalyptic RPG, Fallout 3.

The game is still very much a work in progress, and Bethesda has not yet given a release date target, saying only that they will make further details available later in 2007. The opening of a Fallout 3 forum, however, is certainly a significant step toward generating pre-release publicity, and will also serve as a tool to reassure die-hard Fallout fans who may have concerns about the direction Bethesda will be taking the franchise.

While the focus of the forums will obviously be Fallout 3, a forum for past Fallout titles is also available. Newcomers to the game may find a somewhat less jarring introduction to past entries in the Fallout series here than they would receive elsewhere.

Fallout, originally released by Interplay in 1997, quickly became a cult classic, leading to a sequel as well as two less-successful squad-level combat games. Bethesda recently acquired the rights to the Fallout IP, although Interplay is continuing to develop a Fallout-based MMOG. Fallout 3 will be the first "real" addition to the Fallout continuity since 1998.