The Fallout faithful were dealt a blow recently after Bethesda confirmed the Fallout 4 website was indeed a hoax, but now new evidence suggests the game is real and set in Boston. Casting documents obtained by Kotaku for a project code-named Institue include scripts and character descriptions believed to be associated with Fallout 4.
One line of text from a script starts off with the familiar line “War. War never changes,” which started off Fallout 1-3 featuring the voicework of actor Ron Perlman. However, this time around, it appears the character will deliver the line.
Other documents speak about a mission set in the Institute–described as a post-apocalyptic version of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. The Commonwealth, which was referenced in Fallout 3 as being what remained of Massachusetts, is also mentioned in the documents.
A report from August 2012 claimed Bethesda had conducted a scouting trip to Boston and the immediate surrounding areas, launching speculation that the unannounced game would be set there.
Characters referenced in the document include a radio DJ named Travis Miles and an engineer called Sturges, described as a “cross between Buddy Holly and Vin Diesel.” The documents also include casting calls for both male and female versions of Fallout 4’s main character, and explain that the player will begin the game in a cryogenic sleep chamber.
As Kotaku points out, it is possible that some or all of these details were invented for the purposes of the casting call; and if they weren’t, they could still change through the development process. It is also unknown if the project will called Fallout 4 or if players will get to travel outside of Boston.
A Bethesda representative declined to comment to Kotaku and to GameSpot.
The most recent Fallout title was 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas, which was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and set in a postapocalyptic Las Vegas.
Its predecessor, Fallout 3, was developed by Bethesda Game Studios (BGS) and took place in Washington DC and the surrounding area. Bethesda Game Studios, which also developed The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim, moved onto a new project in April 2013.
Bethesda also recently trademarked Starfield and Soulburst, as well as Void Engine, none of which have been officially announced to date.