Bethesda announces Falllout Legacy collection

Bethesda has announced plans to release Fallout Legacy, a bundle featuring almost all the single-player games released thus far in the Fallout franchise - but has opted to make the pack exclusive to the UK and Germany, for reasons unknown.

Originally developed by Interplay Productions subsidiary Black Isle Studios as a spiritual successor to 1998 post-apocalyptic role-playing game (RPG) Wasteland and released in 1997 to critical acclaim, the isometric turn-based Fallout proved extremely popular. Its 1998 follow-up Fallout 2 was equally successful, though combat-focused Fallout Tactics proved a misstep for the company; Interplay would shutter the studio in 2003 following worsening financial difficulties, resulting in the cancellation of a Fallout 3 being developed under the codename Van Buren.

As Interplay looked to balance the books, the Fallout franchise hit the chopping block: In 2007 the rights to Fallout were sold to Bethesda Softworks, which immediately took the setting and applied it to its existing highly-successful Elder Scrolls formula to produce the real-time first-person looter-shooter Fallout 3. While derided as shallow by fans of the original isometric series, the game proved successful enough for the company to release Fallout New Vegas - created by staff who worked on the original Fallout and its sequel - then Fallout 4, criticised for deeply dumbing down the conversation trees in order to offer full voice acting.

Now, Bethesda has confirmed it plans to release almost every single-player game in the franchise as a bundle dubbed Fallout Legacy. Due to launch later this month, the pack includes Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition, Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition, and Fallout 4 Game of the Year Edition. It does not, however, include mobile-focused microtransaction-laden management sim Fallout Shelter, largely-forgotten Fallout Pinball, nor the 2004 console-exclusive action role-playing game (ARPG) Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. It also excludes the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Fallout 76.

Oddly, Bethesda has only confirmed the title for the UK and Germany, stating on its official Twitter account that the game will launch on October 25th. No reason has been given for the lack of a global release, which is doubly confusing as Bethesda had already released a very similar bundle lacking only Fallout 4 Game of the Year Edition and packaged in an eye-catching plastic nuclear bomb housing.

Pricing has not been confirmed, with Bethesda promising pre-orders will open soon.