Fallout: New Vegas Lead Writer Rejoins Obsidian

Fourteen years after quitting, John Gonzalez, the lead writer behind Horizon: Zero Dawn and Fallout: New Vegas, is back at Obsidian Entertainment. Among other matters, the returnee has clarified that his return is not tied to any Fallout series IP.

Gonzalez first joined Obsidian in 2008 as the “lead story guy” for Fallout: New Vegas, where he was responsible for the game’s quests, dialogue, and characters like Mr. House and Yes Man. 

Following his departure, John spent some time at Monolith Productions, working on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, before transitioning to Guerrilla Games as the narrative director for Horizon: Zero Dawn, which will soon get a movie adaptation and its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West.

After Guerrilla, Gonzalez joined Smilegate Barcelona and remained with the studio until May 2023. After that, he spent some time with Fantastic Pixel Castle as Narrative Director until he switched to work on a novel titled GOD MODE: Single Player, which is upcoming in Aug/Sept 2025.

Announcing his return to Obsidian via a LinkedIn post, John confirmed he has taken on the role of creative director at the studio. While his exact responsibilities remain undisclosed, Gonzalez hinted at “exciting times” ahead for the developer. Despite widespread speculation, he was quick to add, “No, it’s not Fallout: New Vegas 2.”

Recently, Obsidian has been actively developing Avowed, which is scheduled to be released on Feb. 18, 2025, for Windows and Xbox Series X/S and The Outer Worlds 2, which is set to be released also this year for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.