Fans of Obsidian Entertainment’s beloved Fallout: New Vegas might be thrilled to hear that John Gonzalez, the creative mind behind the game’s compelling story and design, has made his way back to the studios after a 14-year hiatus. This exciting tidbit surfaced on Gonzalez’s LinkedIn profile, where he announced his return to Obsidian as a creative director, hinting at “exciting times” without spilling the beans on his specific projects.
While many might jump to the conclusion that Gonzalez is diving back into the world of Fallout for a New Vegas sequel, he was quick to clarify that this isn’t the case, firmly stating, “No, it’s not FNV2.” Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s working on another captivating single-player RPG, given his rich history with such titles at Obsidian.
Beyond Fallout: New Vegas, Gonzalez has an impressive resume, having shaped the narratives of several noteworthy games. He was the lead narrative designer for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor in 2014 and the narrative director for both Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Forbidden West with Guerilla Games. His creative journey also includes contributions to Outrage Entertainment’s Alter Echo from 2003, the never-launched Rubu Tribe action game, Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s EndWar in 2008, and projects with Fantastic Pixel Castle.
Obsidian, on its own stellar journey, has been churning out hits in recent years. The studio impressed with the sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds in 2019, took a creative turn with the survival game Grounded in 2022, and explored 16th Century narratives in Pentiment later that year. Exciting plans are unfolding for 2025, too, with the highly anticipated Pillars of Eternity RPG Avowed set for a February 18 release and The Outer Worlds 2 also slated to drop that year.
Whether Gonzalez’s return will impact The Outer Worlds 2 remains unknown, but he’s likely to be lending his expertise to an upcoming Obsidian RPG. Whether it’s a fresh take within the Pillars of Eternity realm, a novel Fallout offshoot, or an entirely new intellectual property, is anyone’s guess. What’s certain is that whatever Obsidian and Gonzalez cook up will be accessible via Xbox Game Pass from day one, a service that recently saw a price hike. Nevertheless, a great deal is currently available, with three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate going for just $29.99 at CDKeys.
Gamers on Xbox and PC should certainly stay tuned for what’s next from Obsidian — and with Gonzalez back on board, the future looks incredibly bright.
