Random Fallout 4 update references "New Vegas 2" and nobody knows why

A recent Steam backend update for Fallout 4 contains a reference to "New Vegas 2," and while that fact almost certainly has nothing to do with the sequel fans have spent years begging for, everyone's still desperate to know why.

Updates to Steam apps are typically publicly visible thanks to third-party tools like SteamDB. Among other things, you can see beta and other alternative versions of a game, such as those made available to testers or press ahead of that game's launch, even when those branches are not intended to be available to the public.

A new Fallout 4 branch titled 'newvegas2' appeared on SteamDB yesterday. As you might imagine, it's causing a bit of a stir. The original New Vegas, a Fallout 3 spin-off developed by the RPG legends at Obsidian, is a standout entry in the series, beloved for its storytelling and its commitment to offering player choices with meaningful consequences.

This does not mean New Vegas 2 is in development. These branches can be titled anything, because those names are only intended to be seen by the people invited to them. We know Fallout 4 is getting a new-gen update sometime in 2023, and there's a decent chance this is just an internal test build of that update with a cheeky name.

We've reached out to Bethesda for comment and will update if we learn more. (Don't worry, if we somehow get the scoop announcement of New Vegas 2 out of all this, we will certainly publish something about it.)

With all that being said, hopes that we'll someday see New Vegas 2 are not entirely unfounded, as reports have suggested that Microsoft is keen to get such a game off the ground. For its part, however, Obsidian has repeatedly said that while the idea of returning to Fallout is exciting, it's got far too much on its plate right now to commit to something like New Vegas 2.

Sorry folks, Starfield is likely the closest you're getting to a new Fallout for the foreseeable future.