I recommend reading through John's AMA on reddit, it's amusing and really made me understand why his writing worked.

I mean you have two of the most important contributors to Fallout 1 & 2, and the project director from New Vegas - if they can't do it, it can't be done.

For what it's worth I really liked Outer Worlds 1&2 and PoE I & II, as well as Avowed - so whatever they make, I'm probably going to enjoy it.

I liked the story of outerworlds but the mechanics and gameplay were never that interesting and it lost me, had to force myself to finish the game and I'm glad I did but oof.

I only watched playthroughs of Outer Worlds and Avowed, and I agree that they were mediocre. But Obsidian's isometric CRPGs Pillars of Eternity I and II and Tyranny were great. If they can assign the isometric writing teams to the first-person games it might work.

I'm hoping they just need the right setting, and going back to FO could do that for them.

Yeah, but Feargus is still in charge of the studio and I don't think even Microsoft is dumb enough to fuck with the actual development of the game from a proven studio. And now with so many layoffs and the need for this to succeed, Microsoft doesn't have any other options. I'm sure they'll find minor ways to fuck it up, but with things as they are, I truly believe this was the best possible solution to getting another good Fallout game.