Fallout 5 Could Work in London or Paris, Says Fallout 4 Designer Bruce Nesmith

Bethesda Game Studios has begun early production on Fallout 5, but details about the game remain scarce. The most fundamental question for any new Fallout game is its setting, which shapes the tone, locations, story, and even the creatures and factions players encounter.

Until now, every mainline Fallout game has taken place in the United States. Todd Howard of Bethesda Game Studios stated in 2024 that Fallout will never leave America. Jon Rush, creative director on Fallout 76, echoed this position in 2025, saying "Never say never, but probably not."

The reason is rooted in the series' lore. Fallout's identity depends on American nuclear-powered society, diverse US-based factions, Vault-Tec vaults, and the FEV virus that drives mutations across the continent. Without the United States setting, the game loses what designers call the "nuclear-powered nation element" and the Americana vibe that defines the franchise. The post-apocalyptic world exists elsewhere, but no other location has that critical American identity.

Bruce Nesmith, former design director who contributed to Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and other Bethesda titles before departing in 2021, offers a different perspective. In an exclusive interview, Nesmith was asked where he would set Fallout 5 with a blank slate.

"I think it can go to any city that has a really distinctive style to it," Nesmith said. "You look at the places they've already taken Fallout and it's Las Vegas, Washington DC, Boston and they're all places full of style. It would be very tempting to go outside of the country too even though Fallout is highly rooted in Americana."

Nesmith specifically highlighted two international possibilities: "I think London or Paris could be amazing settings, just as two examples, but if you're going to stay in America I think New Orleans is a great place to set a Fallout game."

He also suggested St. Louis, Los Angeles, and even the West Coast as viable US locations. Los Angeles particularly interests him because of its Hollywood studio heritage, which could add thematic depth to exploration and storytelling.

The designer went further, proposing that Fallout need not be confined to cities at all. "We don't even need to go to a city. It could just be a place. What's happening in the Grand Canyon?" Nesmith suggested, though he acknowledged that Fallout's urban settings are core to the exploration mechanics that define the franchise.

Nesmith's track record lends weight to his suggestions. He designed key locations and side quests in Fallout 4, led design on Skyrim, and contributed to Fallout 3, Fallout 76, and Fallout Shelter. His expertise in creating memorable post-apocalyptic environments makes his vision for Fallout 5's potential settings noteworthy, even if Bethesda's current leadership appears committed to keeping the series American.