Fallout 3 not your irradiated cup of tea inexplicably hidden in a filing cabinet? Do you pine for the days when Black Isle Studios headed up the post-apocalyptic RPG series? Well then, it’d seem the fates have aligned in your favor, because Bethesda has decided to entrust its precious license with Obsidian Studios, a team founded by Black Isle cast-offs.
 
The result of their partnership, titled Fallout: New Vegas, will apparently not stray too far from Fallout 3’s critically acclaimed path, though Bethesda wouldn’t spill when asked about the game’s engine.
 
Ostensibly taking place among Sin City’s radroach-infested ruins, New Vegas isn’t a sequel to Fallout 3. Rather, it’s a spin-off that – knowing Obsidian’s track record – will probably take a large number of cues from its source material.
 
"It is not a sequel to Fallout 3," said Bethesda marketing VP Pete Hines. "It was just a great opportunity we thought to work with some guys who very clearly know Fallout--Feargus [Urquhart] and those guys were there in the early days of Fallout."
 
This unexpected gamble on the Fallout franchise is currently targeted for a 2010 release date. We can’t wait, really. We’ve always wanted to visit Vegas without cowering in fear of being shot at all times, and thanks to all the radiation and mutated wildlife, we’re sure Fallout: New Vegas will be our safest bet. 

(Dear Vegas people, we kid. Please don't yell at us.)