Rumors suggest that Bethesda’s next Fallout game will take place in Boston. According to a thread posted by an anonymous Reddit user, scouting is currently underway at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “The rumors are true, Fallout 4 will take place in Boston,” the user writes. “In case you haven't heard, Bethesda has recently been scoping out and researching Boston. They also have a strong connection to MIT.” The user notes that he “may or may not be an MIT employee” but “that's really all I can say for fear of losing my job.”
The rumor makes sense considering the lore behind The Commonwealth, the Fallout universe’s version of Massachusetts that’s been referenced in prior games. In Fallout 3 side quest The Replicated Man, players encounter a scientist named Dr. Zimmer who comes from The Commonwealth, a “war-ravaged quagmire of violence and despair” where he notes he and his colleagues created androids that have escaped and are running wild. Zimmer also references The Institute, which is presumably a future version of MIT.
As noted by our friends over at Gamespy, The Commonwealth also contains the Railroad, which runs in direct opposition to the Institute and aims to rescue the androids that have been created. A branch of the Commonwealth Police known as the Synth Retention Bureau is in charge of capturing androids that have escaped from the Institute.
Bethesda has declined to comment on the rumor of a Boston setting for now, but considering the impressive amount of mythology already revolving around The Commonwealth, it certainly seems like a plausible theory.
