Chris Avellone doubts a Fallout: New Vegas remaster and explains why

According to Avellone, near the end of development, Obsidian Entertainment offered to transfer the source code to Bethesda for $10,000, effectively giving the company full control over the project. However, the deal reportedly never went through, leaving Bethesda without access to the code.

Avellone argues that creating a remaster without the original source code is essentially impossible. He also noted that former Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart declined to hand over the code, even when additional financial offers were discussed. As a result, the code may have been lost or exists only in a fragmented state.

Given these circumstances, Avellone believes Bethesda won’t be able to re-release the game as a remaster. The only viable option would be a full remake, though such a project would require significant resources.

Meanwhile, some in the community suggest Bethesda could take an approach similar to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, layering modern visuals over the original game. However, Avellone insists that even this method would still require access to the source code.