Fallout 3 introduced many gamers to the franchise by changing the gameplay and moving the storyline to the East Coast. Longtime fans of the series expressed their disappointment of the series. They remained interested in the series after Obsidian Entertainment, which employed several former developers, announced they would be working with Bethesda to release Fallout: New Vegas, which retained much of the story from Interplay’s planned Fallout 3 sequel.

Every gamer interested in the series perked up when news of Fallout 4 began floating around the internet. Immediately after word got out, fans began to speculate about everything, from the setting, plot, and the gameplay. Faithful fans hoped that Bethesda would improve on the faults of Fallout 3, while others gave up all hope unless Obsidian were to take part in the series again.

Fan speculation led to several rumors that seemed plausible. Multiple gaming websites and forums over-analyzed any small details and believed any information they were given. Soon, leaks began to emerge from Bethesda HQ. Many of these leaks turned out to be true, but others were intentionally meant to spread false information. Luckily, fans were able to separate truth from fiction, but some information was harder to decipher until the game was released. Even after Fallout 4 reached excited gamers, fans speculated about DLC and expansion packs.

Our list compiles some of those false facts that seemed too real to be fake. If you’re new to Fallout 4, beware of the spoilers scattered within.

20 A Quick Trip To Outer Space

The Sea of Tranquility Conflict is first mentioned in Fallout 4. Sometime before the bombs fell and the Great War started, the United States military fought an unknown force on the Moon. The Sole Survivor can spot the mural depicting this massive battle at the Museum of Freedom in Concord. This event isn't the first time space is mentioned in the series. Aliens have always been part of the Fallout series, but usually featuring small cameos of UFO crashes or a dead foreign body. Fallout 3 finally brought players into space with the expansion pack Mothership Zeta. Word began to spread online that we would head to the moon to finish the battle that began two centuries before. Unfortunately, this rumor was proven to be false, and all of the Fallout 4 DLC kept us grounded on Earth.

19 Letting The Fans Have A Say

The Bethesda website has a forum that contains topics featuring their line of video games. Many gamers use the forums to request new features in games or plead for changes in upcoming games. Rumors started to spread that Bethesda was taking these requests and using them in their games. This revelation turned out to be false and a misunderstanding of how the forums worked. Forum moderators were not official Bethesda developers and were not stealing ideas from fans.

Bethesda's PR and Marketing Director Pete Hines stated in a Game Informer interview that he was aware of the discussion taking place. He said, "Ultimately, we’re going to try and do the things that we think are the best for the games that we’re making, because that’s, honestly, all I can really control."

18 Dogmeat Takes The Lead

When the Fallout 4 trailer was revealed, fans went crazy speculating story details and over-analyzing characters that appeared for seconds on-screen. The reveal trailer showed Dogmeat, the canine companion who has appeared in every numbered Fallout game, sniffing around an abandoned house. Some fans took his appearance to mean that we would be taking control of Dogmeat for the first time in Fallout history. Previously Dogmeat was only a neutral companion that could be used to attack enemies. Of course, this rumor was quickly proven false. Dogmeat was part of Fallout 4, but only as a neutral companion, just like in previous Fallout installments. In a series where humans have been the protagonist, it was a jump to believe Dogmeat would be the star. It just goes to show how far some fan theories will go.

17 Returning To The Lonesome Road

Fans of Fallout: New Vegas hoped that Bethesda would continue to use the characters Obsidian created. Rumors began to circulate online that fan-favorite character Ulysses would be returning in Fallout 4 DLC called Lonely Rhodes. The name would be based on the last New Vegas DLC Lonesome Road. According to the fake reports, the Sole Survivor would receive a cryptic message from Ulysses. It would lead the Survivor from the Glowing Sea into Rhode Island. The state of Rhode Island would now be a barren wasteland filled with frightening new creatures. Bethesda was swift to dispel the rumors, but let fans know that the concept was interesting. It's more likely that the mysterious DLC was Far Harbor, which takes place further north in Maine, was the original DLC fans were speculating.

16 It Would Have Felt Very Different Without These

Bethesda changed the role of the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 3. Instead of the technology hoarders in Fallout 1 and 2, Elder Lyons' group were a benevolent force working to help the people of the Capital Wasteland. Bethesda also changed Super Mutants, who were formally super intelligent creatures but now they were unstoppable killing forces. Though gamers new to the series were oblivious, long-time fans were furious. They wouldn't accept these changes Bethesda made to the lore Black Isle Studios had developed. Fans began to believe that the negative feedback of these two groups was taken seriously by Bethesda. In Fallout 4, neither the Brotherhood of Steel nor Super Mutants would appear. Bethesda quickly dismissed the rumor, proven by the power armor proudly displayed in the Fallout 4 reveal trailer.

15 The Return Of The Fallout DLC

Gamers have learned to accept that most new video games will contain micro-transactions and DLC, many on the first day of release. Sometimes this isn't a negative. Fans may play a game, fall in love with it, and want more content. Bethesda promised high-quality DLC with the release of Fallout 4, but many were disappointed when most off it were content packs. The developer and publisher made it clear that no more DLC would be released after Nuka World. Fans eager for more found a possible DLC expansion pack called "SteamDB Unknown App 540810" on Steam. No other descriptive information was listed. Fans thought that it could be a bonus DLC. Unfortunately, it wasn't DLC but only related to the upcoming VR or unpopular Creation Club.

14 Even The Actor Messed Up This One

Fallout 3 introduced the charismatic Three Dog, who was the DJ for Galaxy News Radio. He spent more of the time heavily guarded by the Brotherhood of Steel and narrating the Lone Wanderer's journey. Erik Todd Dellums, who voiced the character, tweeted that "There may be more of the Dog coming! Fingers crossed!" Fans were immediately excited and rushed to ask Dellums more about his upcoming role in Fallout 4. He confirmed that Bethesda gave him the green light to share the exciting news. It turns out that he was only told that there would be a possibility he would return. Dellums misunderstood the information from Bethesda and unintentionally misled fans. Three Dog had no part of Fallout 4 besides from a casual mention from Diamond City Radio's DJ Travis Miles.

13 Everything's Better Down Where It's Wetter

When Fallout 4's map was leaked, fans were confused on why around a quarter of the map consisted of the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the area cannot be explored in the base game. This large body of the ocean led fans to believe that a future DLC would allow gamers to explore the underwater region. Along the ocean floor were detailed vegetation, pipelines, and a possible vault door. Fans believed that if Bethesda spent time developing this area, then surely they had future DLC plans. The vault door was especially exciting as gamers hoped to discover a long-lost race of underwater creatures. Unfortunately, no underwater DLC ever came to life. The most time gamers could spend underwater was to find the Yangtze, a sunken Chinese submarine.

12 Flashback To Horrible Times

During the introduction of Fallout 4, we learn that the male protagonist Nate is a war veteran. The game gives little insight to his time during the Sino-American War, but we know he was a veteran and raising his family in Sanctuary Hills.

The DLC would have taken us back to the Memory Den in Goodneighbor, where patrons sit in pods to recall memories. This story would have been primarily focused on Nate, as Nora was formerly a lawyer. It's possible that Nora could have seen a flashback of her husband's war experience, similar to viewing Kellogg's, the man who kidnapped her son Shaun, brain stem memories. Fans speculate the DLC could be related to Fallout 3's DLC Operation Anchorage, which was a military simulation.

11 Taking Players Online

The Elder Scrolls Online may have had a shaky launch, but it has now been a stable game loved by many. Fans of The Elder Scrolls series can become immersed in the stories of Morrowind and Skyrim. Since there was also money-making potential from developing an MMORPG, fans believed that Bethesda would do the same with Fallout. The post-apocalyptic series already had the basic MMORPG formula down with Fallout Online, but it is based on Black Isle Studios' isometric gameplay. An MMORPG would have used the newest technology to make the game more enjoyable for all audiences. Though a Fallout MMORPG hasn't been entirely dismissed by Bethesda, we now know that Fallout 4 would be the next numbered installment after their third Fallout game.

10 A Console Switch

Bethesda shocked gamers when they announced they would be porting DOOM and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim onto the Nintendo Switch. Gamers were shocked that Nintendo was becoming more open to allowing Mature rated content. They also were impressed these games could be run on the Switch's hardware. Gamers were excited when a product listing for Fallout 4: Game of the Year edition on the Nintendo Switch was listed on an online shop, El Corte Ingles. The website listed the game would be available on September 27, 2017, which was the same day it would be released on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Not soon after the listing was posted, the listing was pulled from the website with no further explanation.

9 A Secret Preview

Fallout 3 introduced new fans to the series, while Fallout: New Vegas once again brought a smile to fans of Black Isle Studio’s original series. Gamers waited impatiently for news about Fallout 4. They hoped that a new installment to the series would be announced in the Summer when one of the largest video game conferences was held. E3 is often when big developers and publishers debut new games to eager fans.

In 2014, players were beginning to become more suspicious of the ties between journalists and the companies developing video games. Rumors began circulating that Bethesda was showing off Fallout 4 at E3 2014 only to a select few game journalists, hoping for positive press in exchange for Fallout 4 previews. Bethesda denied the claims and did not debut Fallout 4 to anyone until E3 2015.

8 At Least They Knew The Location?

In 2014, fans were eager for new Fallout news. It had been years since any new information was released from Bethesda. Finally, word spread that Bethesda Softworks LLC filed a trademark in Germany for Fallout: Shadow of Boston. Fans rejoiced at the news of a new Fallout game and that it would be set in Northeast America. Days later, Bethesda announced on their official twitter account that "The German trademark filing that's making the rounds is a hoax. This didn't come from our offices." But it was enough to make fans look forward to any new information about the series. We would have to wait until E3 2015 until Todd Howard, Bethesda Game Studio's Director and Executive Producer would officially reveal the Fallout 4. The only truth to the rumor was the Fallout 4 took place in the Commonwealth area around Boston.

7 The Website That Fooled The World

Video game publishers often register domain names in anticipation of their new releases. When the teaser website TheSurvivor2299.com appeared, fans immediately believed it was real. The site stated "Nuclear Winter is Coming," which was a reference to past quotes from the series. There were a series of beeps that users interpreted for morse code. For weeks, fans on social media and Reddit invested time to deciphering the messages. Unfortunately, their time was wasted. Bethesda found out about the website and quickly shut it down. The site eventually popped up again with a YouTube video of a sad violin song and an admission of guilt. The person who created the website later admitted the website was created to urge Bethesda to reveal Fallout 4 news, which ended up being a failure.

6 The Enclave Strikes Back

The Enclave has had a large part in the Fallout series. Colonel Autumn and his group took on the role as the obvious bad guys in Fallout 3. No matter what your Lone Wanderer's fate ended up being, the Enclave still survived with hopes to revive the old American government of the mid-20th Century. In the Epilogue of Fallout 3, the Enclave was pushed out of the Capital Wasteland. The Brotherhood of Steel worked to remove all traces of the group in the Broken Steel DLC. Since the Brotherhood of Steel was confirmed early on to reappear, it only makes sense that their enemies the Enclave would travel North to the Commonwealth and appear in Fallout 4. Sadly, the Enclave didn't reappear in the fourth sequel and their place as the antagonist role was given to the Institute.

5 More Consoles To Reach A Larger Audience

Developers often try to release their games on multiple platforms. Bethesda has now released their games on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on the same date. These new consoles were only two years old when Fallout 4 was released. Gamers believed that since the newest consoles were still too expensive for most, Bethesda would downgrade Fallout 4 and release it on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Bethesda's Community Lead, Matt Grandstaff, quickly put the rumors to rest on NeoGAF and said "It is not coming to 360 and PS3, the stuff we’re doing will never work there." Bethesda would have to invest long hours in downgrading a massive open world game like Fallout 4 for release on older systems. Most fans would agree they would rather see the time put into more content and fixing any potential bugs.

4 Boys' Club

Fans were already disappointed to hear that the protagonists of Fallout 4 would have a predetermined background. Nate was a war veteran, while Nora was a lawyer. Though little was know about the game in 2015, leaks began to spread of the script. News began circulating that Bethesda would be restricting players even more to only take on the role of Nate, the character with more war experience.

In this rumor, Nate would be the one avenging his wife and rescuing his lost son, Shaun. Only after the main storyline was completed would the player be able to take on the role of the female protagonist, Nora. This rumor didn't last long. The Fallout series has always allowed players to choose from a male or female protagonist, and forcing players to play as a male would only upset both new and old fans.

3 Involvement From A Famous Filmmaker

In early 2015, gamers knew to expect news at Fallout 4 at the upcoming E3 convention. A website spotted a LinkedIn profile of a 3D artist who stated they worked on Fallout 4's cinematic trailer from December 2014 to March 2015. They listed that the work was for Mirada Studios, which was partly founded by Guillermo del Toro. The company has worked on a variety of movie and video game projects, including an advertisement for Mario Kart 8. After the news was released, Mirada Studios contacted various news sites, stating the artist had provided inaccurate information on LinkedIn and had broken a non-disclosure agreement. What has been confirmed is that Guillermo del Toro did not have a direct hand in Fallout 4's development.

2 It's Only Human

Fans discovered early on that the game would be revolved around the mysterious Institute. The faction was first introduced in Fallout 3 with Harkness, a Synthetic being that eerily resembled a human. As more information about Fallout 4 was released, fans tried to piece everything together. The player would wake up from a cryogenic sleep and try to recall what happened during the two hundred years they were asleep. Fans quickly believed that the player would be playing a Synth who escaped from the Institute. Even DiMA in the Far Harbor DLC will question your humanity. Bethesda answers this question for us as the Sole Survivor will start to recall memories from their early childhood and college days. The game's canon makes it clear that you are a human and not a synth.

1 War Would Change

Ron Perlman has had a part in each Fallout installment. His signature phrase "War never changes" has become an infamous quote in the world of gaming. When casting information was leaked from Bethesda, longtime fans were horrified to find out the intro would be spoken by the male protagonist, Nate. Fans hoped this wasn't true since Perlman believed he would not be part of Fallout: New Vegas, but that turned out to be false. When asked for further information on Twitter and at various Comic Cons, Perlman didn't give a clear confirmation on his role, if any, in Fallout 4. Although Perlman did not return as the Narrator for the first time in Fallout history, he did play a small role as a Newscaster during the game's prologue.