Bethesda Softworks has licensed the rights to the Fallout franchise from Interplay Entertainment in a deal that was announced today. The deal awards Bethesda exclusive worldwide rights to the Fallout franchise on the PC, home consoles, handhelds, and other media, with the rights to develop and publish additional sequels. With the announcement of the deal came the announcement that Bethesda will develop and publish Fallout 3, the latest addition to the extremely popular role-playing game franchise.

"We're extremely excited about this opportunity and what it means both for Bethesda and for Fallout fans around the world," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "Fallout is one of the great RPG franchises. Millions of Fallout games have been sold worldwide, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of a Fallout 3 title. Bethesda's proven expertise in this genre, building on our experience and the tremendous success we have enjoyed with our cutting-edge Elder Scrolls series, will enable us to create the next chapter of Fallout that is worthy of the franchise."

Bethesda is probably best known for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the expansive, beautiful and extremely lengthy RPG that won nearly every national and international award of note in 2002, including Game of the Year and RPG of the Year, and is one of the best-selling games ever released on Xbox. Todd Howard, who was the executive producer of Morrowind, will also be at the helm for Fallout 3 in addition to the the next chapter of The Elder Scrolls.

"We are overjoyed," said Howard. "Fallout is one of my favorite games, and we plan to develop a visually stunning and original game for Fallout 3 with all the hallmarks of a great RPG: player choice, engaging story, and non-linearity."

No details about the official third installment of the Fallout franchise have been announced just yet, but some fans of the series might find the Bethesda acquisition a bit curious. Despite the critical acclaim which has been lauded on Morrowind, it possesses a very different style of both gameplay and environment than traditionally seen in the Fallout series. Fallout fans will have to trust that the creative minds at Bethesda will hold true to the series' roots and maintain its unique personality.

More details, including a target release date, are expected to surface as development progresses on Fallout 3.